CIBC 750 Lawrence
Encyclopedia
CIBC 750 Lawrence is a two tower complex in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
, built in the early 1980s. It is part of CIBC's head office operations outside of Commerce Court
and the main quarters of CIBC Credit Card Services, including Visa call centres. The Visa call centre is a member of the Steel Workers Union in Toronto. Originally, the union representing those workers was known as UBE Local 2104. UBE meaning Union of Bank Employees. The Visa call centre is the only unionized department in CIBC but at the time of the strike in 1986, the Commerce Court Mail Room, Stationery Department and the Internal Mail Trucks that transported correspondences within the greater Toronto area were also unionized. 750 consists of two buildings, one six stories (West) and the other, ten stories (East), built by Toronto-based firm Bregman + Hamann Architects
(B+H) in 1981. B+H is the same firm involved in renovations in 2001. Even though CIBC sold off many of their buildings, including Commerce Court, back in the late 1990's...750 Lawrence continues to be owned by CIBC to this day. It is located in Lawrence Heights
across the street from Lawrence Square Shopping Centre
and a short walk to Lawrence West subway
station. Before 750 Lawrence was the building you see today, it was a much smaller building that housed the Dealer Plan department among others. Dealer Plan had a designated parking lot within the property and that was where CIBC would store cars and small trucks that they had reposessed. The west wall of the West Tower was damaged in 2001 by a large fire at a housing development located directly to the west...760 Lawrence. Every window on that wall was cracked or broken except one.
The building once housed an internal branch for employees. The branch was a sub-unit of the head office branch at Commerce Court. The branch has since closed and renovated as lounges and conference rooms. Three bank machines in the west wing offer banking options for employees.
Between the two wings is a tree lined court yard with benches and used for staff events.
Besides CIBC, the following retailers operate in the building:
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, built in the early 1980s. It is part of CIBC's head office operations outside of Commerce Court
Commerce Court
Commerce Court is a complex of four office buildings on King- and Bay-streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The main tenant is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce...
and the main quarters of CIBC Credit Card Services, including Visa call centres. The Visa call centre is a member of the Steel Workers Union in Toronto. Originally, the union representing those workers was known as UBE Local 2104. UBE meaning Union of Bank Employees. The Visa call centre is the only unionized department in CIBC but at the time of the strike in 1986, the Commerce Court Mail Room, Stationery Department and the Internal Mail Trucks that transported correspondences within the greater Toronto area were also unionized. 750 consists of two buildings, one six stories (West) and the other, ten stories (East), built by Toronto-based firm Bregman + Hamann Architects
Bregman + Hamann Architects
B+H Architects , founded in 1953, is an international architecture, interior design and urban planning firm...
(B+H) in 1981. B+H is the same firm involved in renovations in 2001. Even though CIBC sold off many of their buildings, including Commerce Court, back in the late 1990's...750 Lawrence continues to be owned by CIBC to this day. It is located in Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights
Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street to the west...
across the street from Lawrence Square Shopping Centre
Lawrence Square Shopping Centre
The Lawrence Square Shopping Centre in Toronto, Canada, is one of the city's twenty largest malls. It is located on Lawrence Avenue West, west of Allen Road, in the neighbourhood of Lawrence Heights, which is in Yorkdale-Glen Park, and is readily accessible from the Toronto Transit Commission's...
and a short walk to Lawrence West subway
Lawrence West (TTC)
Lawrence West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on William R. Allen Road at 655 Lawrence Avenue West. It opened in 1978 in what was then the Borough of North York...
station. Before 750 Lawrence was the building you see today, it was a much smaller building that housed the Dealer Plan department among others. Dealer Plan had a designated parking lot within the property and that was where CIBC would store cars and small trucks that they had reposessed. The west wall of the West Tower was damaged in 2001 by a large fire at a housing development located directly to the west...760 Lawrence. Every window on that wall was cracked or broken except one.
The building once housed an internal branch for employees. The branch was a sub-unit of the head office branch at Commerce Court. The branch has since closed and renovated as lounges and conference rooms. Three bank machines in the west wing offer banking options for employees.
Between the two wings is a tree lined court yard with benches and used for staff events.
Besides CIBC, the following retailers operate in the building:
- Gateway NewstandsGateway NewstandsGateway Newstands is a company that operates convenience stores and kiosks in large office buildings, shopping centres, public places, and transit stations in the United States and Canada...
- Tim HortonsTim HortonsTim Hortons Inc. is a Canadian fast casual restaurant known for its coffee and doughnuts. It is also Canada's largest fast food service with over 3000 stores nationwide. It was founded in 1964 in Hamilton, Ontario, by Canadian hockey player Tim Horton and Jim Charade, after an initial venture in...
- AramarkAramarkAramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City,...
Services
- GardaGarda (security company)Garda World Security Corporation is a Canadian private security firm, based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, with 45,000 employees . Established in 1972, the company is the fifth largest consulting and security services firm in the world, with operations in North America, Europe and the Middle East...
internal security for the entire complex and garage - Standard ParkingStandard ParkingStandard Parking Corporation is a leading national provider of parking facility management services, providing on-site services at multi-level and surface parking facilities for all major markets of the parking industry...
- in the early 2000s the garage complex was outsourced to Standard Parking. SP made extensive renovations to the garage structure and surrounding parking pads. Since the improvements, employees are now charged for parking services and the visitors for use of the parking pads of either sides of the complex.
See also
- Streetsville Computing Centre
- Markham Computing Centre