Mad Men-era Toronto office tower to be demolished and totally rebuilt

A Toronto office tower dating back to 1958 could be demolished and rebuilt from the ground up, where its preserved exterior details would live on as the base of a new residential building.

The Shell Oil Building at 505 University Ave. houses 20 storeys of office space with a classic Mad Men-era design from architectural firm Marani & Morris, clad in a distinctive exterior of Queenston limestone.

Initially constructed as a 13-storey tower in 1958, the building was expanded with a seven-storey vertical addition in 1966 that brought it to its present configuration
— unchanged for almost six decades.

New levels being added to the 1958-built Shell Oil Building c. 1966. GBCA.

A 2022 proposal for the site sought to demolish the current building and reuse some of its exterior materials within the base of a 64-storey mixed-use development. This vision generated immediate concerns from heritage advocates. Globe and Mail architecture critic Alex Bozikovic called that 2022 plan's treatment of this heritage structure "shocking."  

2022 plan (left) would have retained a much smaller portion of the tower's exteriors. BDP Quadrangle.

However, a wrench was thrown into this plan in May 2024 when City Council designated the property under the Ontario Heritage Act, and, when approval was not granted in the predetermined 120-day window, the plan was brought before a provincial tribunal for appeal.

Jack Landau

Following a provincial appeal and subsequent settlement between developer Cartareal Corporation and the City, a revised plan to demolish and rebuild the protected heritage building is being considered, with the new tower now considered at 63 storeys.

A report addressed to the Toronto Preservation Board and City Council outlines the proposed demolition, reconstruction, and integration of this landmark structure into a new mixed-use development.

The current plan seeks to restore the full 20-storey height of the Shell Oil Building; however, an Aug. 2025 heritage assessment by heritage specialists GBCA Architects notes structural concerns with the existing tower that would require its demolition and the reconstitution of its facades.

2025 plan retaining the tower's primary elevations. BDP Quadrangle.

According to the report, a 2024 structural investigation identified an "imbalance in
the stiffness between the flexibility of the structural steel frame and that of the stiff
Queenston Limestone masonry exterior" that causes stress cracks over time.

Repairing these cracks would cause mismatched patches in the facade that create a barrier to maintaining in situ and result in "an accelerating loss of heritage value."

The request to demolish the building and reconstruct its facades will be considered at the Toronto Preservation Board meeting on Sept. 22, 2025.

While the reconstitution of a full office tower seems like a tall order, it would not be the first instance of such a large-scale heritage integration in Toronto.

In 2013, the former Concourse Building — one of Toronto's original Art Deco office towers — was demolished, with its south and east facades carefully catalogued and reintegrated into the 2017-completed EY Tower.

Jack Landau

The 1928 landmark's original 16-storey height was reconfigured to 13 storeys to match the increased heights of the new office tower, where its stunning details live on to this day.