Toronto's weird giraffe building just got painted over and it's depressing

After sitting vacant for nearly two decades, a recognizable Toronto landmark known for its bold animal print paint job has finally been painted over, signalling the end of an era for the well-known "giraffe building."

Anyone who's ever walked near the outskirts of Roncesvalles will recognize the funky giraffe-patterned building at the corner of Bloor and Dundas West. The yellow and brown spots, impossible to miss, stood out at one of Toronto's "ugliest" intersections.

The idea that things stay the same is a thought divorced from reality, especially when you're living in Toronto. For many residents, seeing the weird two-storey building being painted over was a stark reminder that everything in the city has an expiry date.

The Giraffe building at Bloor and Dundas West. Photo: Jeremy Gilbert

On Saturday, June 27, residents noticed a painter covering the familiar print at 1540 Bloor St W. in nondescript black paint.

The infamous Giraffe building has lost its namesake spots. Photo: Natalia Buia

Depending on how long you've lived in Toronto — or in that neck of the woods — you may not know the building's original story. Before it earned its spots, it was actually home to a bar called Joe's Mercury.

The site was given its paint job in 2007 to serve as a presentation centre for a proposed development, known as Giraffe Condos, which never came to fruition. The presentation centre's paint job remained for decades, long outlasting the vision it was meant to sell.

The original proposal called for a 27-storey tower, but the development application faced resistance at City Council and was ultimately shelved after the developer's appeal to the province failed to gain traction. The site went through many, many different design applications, none of which got approved.

Former proposed design of the infamous Giraffe building. Rendering: City of Toronto

An updated proposal for a rental tower on the site was granted approval by the Ontario Land Tribunal in late 2021, leading to a revised submission with City Planners in 2022.

Between this and the potential redevelopment of Sneaky Dee's, Toronto sure is losing its whimsy to the development gods, and, even though it's inevitable, it's a damn shame nevertheless.