5 Must-Visit Historic Buildings in Toronto

Toronto is a city of the future as it rapidly develops into a high-tech metropolis. A recent report by the US Commercial Real Estate Services (CBRE) identified Toronto as the fastest-growing hub for technology and IT jobs in North America, eclipsing New York and San Francisco.

At the same time, Toronto reveres its past, as seen in the following must-visit historic buildings:

• Old City Hall
  60 Queen Street W, Toronto

  Today, the Old City Hall operates as the provincial and municipal courts of Ontario and is known as the “Toronto courthouse.” By 2021, the building will turn into the Museum of Toronto which will house a public library, an events space, stores, and offices. This Romanesque Revival building was completed in 1899 and served as the home of the Toronto City Council until 1966. Old City Hall’s distinctive clock tower first rang its bells at exactly midnight on January 1st, 1901.

• Gooderham Building
  49 Wellington St. E, Toronto

  Also known as the “Flatiron Building,” this five-story, red-brick historic office building is one of the most photographed in the city. A mural painted on the back of the building by Canadian artist Derek Besant uses trompe l’oeil to give the illusion of a mirror reflecting the Perkins Building which sits across Gooderham. Today, the building is one of Toronto’s most sought-after office addresses.

• Osgoode Hall
  130 Queen Street W, Toronto

  Osgoode Hall is a landmark building named after Upper Canada’s first chief justice William Osgoode. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeals, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, the Law Society of Ontario’s headquarters, and the Great Law Library. Despite undergoing numerous additions and changes, the building’s façade has remained the same since 1860. The building itself used to be the site of the only accredited law school in Ontario until 1957.

• Casa Loma
  1 Austin Terrace, Toronto

  This historic Edwardian castle in midtown Toronto is popular for weddings and as a movie set and it is easy to see why. Elegant, antique furniture fill the lavishly decorated rooms and give visitors an image of what life was like in an earlier time. A five-acre flowering garden, complete with sculptures and fountains, surrounds the castle. Walk through an 800-foot underground tunnel connecting the stables and carriage. Admire the vintage automobiles on exhibit.

• Commerce Court North
  25 King St. W, Toronto

  In 1931, the Canadian Bank of Commerce began operation in Commerce Court North, the first structure built in today’s Commerce Court complex. At 34-storeys, North Tower was the tallest building in the British Commonwealth for three decades and was the center for Canada’s business elite. Commerce Court North’s most striking features are its gold-coffered ceiling and Art Deco designs.

If you’d like to live in a forward-thinking city that honors its history, Toronto is for you. Learn more about living in Toronto by exploring the website. For inquiries, call Linda McEwan or Cheryl Thompson at 416.960.9995 or email cthompson(at)sothebysrealty(dotted)ca.