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Flatiron Building (Toronto)
Encyclopedia
Brick
A brick is a block of ceramic material used in masonry construction, usually laid using various kinds of mortar. It has been regarded as one of the longest lasting and strongest building materials used throughout history.-History:...
Gooderham Building (commonly referred to as the "Flatiron Building"
Flatiron Building (disambiguation)
The Flatiron Building is a skyscraper in New York City, finished in 1902.Flatiron Building may also refer to:*Flatiron Building , 1925*Flatiron Building , 1897*Flatiron Building , 1908...
) is historic landmark of Toronto
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...
located at 49 Wellington Street East. On the eastern edge of the city's Financial District
Financial District, Toronto
The Financial District is a business district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, within the downtown core. It was originally planned as New Town in 1796 as an extension of the Town of York . It is the main financial district in Toronto, and is the financial heart of Canada...
(east of Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
), it is in the St. Lawrence
St. Lawrence, Toronto
St. Lawrence is a neighbourhood located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The area, a former industrial area, is bounded by Yonge, Front, and Parliament Streets, and the Canadian National railway embankment. The Esplanade off Yonge St., lined with restaurants, cafés and hotels runs through the...
neighbourhood wedged between Front Street
Front Street (Toronto)
Front Street is an east-west road in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street marks the rough outline of the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during the original English settlement of York, then called Palace Street...
and Wellington Street, where they join up to form a triangular intersection. Completed in 1892, it was an early example of a prominent "Flatiron
Flatiron Building (disambiguation)
The Flatiron Building is a skyscraper in New York City, finished in 1902.Flatiron Building may also refer to:*Flatiron Building , 1925*Flatiron Building , 1897*Flatiron Building , 1908...
" building. Other "Flatiron" examples are the English-American Building
Flatiron Building (Atlanta)
The English-American Building, commonly referenced as the Flatiron Building, is a building completed in 1897 located at 84 Peachtree Street in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, on the wedge-shaped block between Peachtree Street NE, Poplar Street NW, and Broad Street NW, also creating a one-block break...
in Atlanta, completed in 1897, and the Fuller Building
Flatiron Building
The Flatiron Building, or Fuller Building, as it was originally called, is located at 175 Fifth Avenue in the borough of Manhattan, New York City and is considered to be a groundbreaking skyscraper. Upon completion in 1902 it was one of the tallest buildings in the city and the only skyscraper...
in New York City, completed in 1902.
The Gooderham Building is the focal point of one of Toronto's most iconic vistas: looking west down Front Street towards the building's prominent rounded corner, framed on the sides by the heritage commercial blocks along Front Street, and with the skyscrapers of the Financial District towering in the background. The CN Tower
CN Tower
The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world's tallest free-standing structure and world's tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj...
is also visible from certain angles behind Brookfield Place. This vista frequently appears in imagery of the city.
History
The previous building was shorter but in the same shape and was called the Coffin BlockCoffin Block Building, Toronto
The Coffin Block Building at Front and Church Streets was the first Flatiron building in Toronto, Canada. The 3 storey structure was built in 1845 as an annex to The Wellington hotel on Church Street. The basement housed the office of William Weller Stagecoach Company...
. The current building was built by architect David Roberts, Jr. and originally cost $18,000 to construct for distiller George Gooderham, son of Gooderham and Worts
Gooderham and Worts
Gooderham and Worts was a Canadian company that was once the largest distiller of alcoholic beverages in Canada. Its former manufacturing facilities on the Toronto Waterfront are today the well known Distillery District....
distillery founder William Gooderham. It was the office of the Gooderham & Worts distillery until 1952 and sold by the Gooderham Estate in 1957.
Saved by David and Thomas Walsh, restoration took place in 1998 by owners Michael and Anne Tippin. The building was declared a historic site under the Ontario Heritage Act in 1975, and then in 1977 the Ontario Heritage Trust attained a Heritage Easement. It is now managed and owned by the Woodcliffe Corporation.
On 12 October 2011 Woodcliffe Corporation announced it was selling the building. The building was last sold for $10.1 million in 2005, and for $2.2 million in 1999.
Architecture and art
The Gooderham Building is well known both for its narrow wedge shape and for the mural on its back wall. The Flatiron Mural by renowned Canadian artist Derek Michael BesantDerek Michael Besant
Derek Michael Besant is a Canadian artist living in Calgary, Alberta.Besant Studied at University of Calgary, where he received a BFA Honours in 1973 and continued with Graduate Studies in 1974. He was Exhibitions Designer for The Glenbow Museum between 1973 -1977...
uses a trompe l'oeil
Trompe l'oeil
Trompe-l'œil, which can also be spelled without the hyphen in English as trompe l'oeil, is an art technique involving extremely realistic imagery in order to create the optical illusion that the depicted objects appear in three dimensions.-History in painting:Although the phrase has its origin in...
effect to not only make the wall appear to have more windows than it does, but to also give it a more mobile effect by having its edges 'fluttering' away where they are not 'tacked' down. It is a picture of the Perkins Building, which is located directly across the street.
The building has a Romanesque cornice and frieze above the arched windows on the 4th floor. The main entrance located on Wellington Street makes use of a French Gothic archway. The foundation is made of sandstone. The steep copper roof has eight gable dormers: four on the south facade and four on the north facade.
With its linear pattern of fenestration distributed equally on all floors, it conveys a light feeling of a corporate office building. The Gooderham Building is set on a high foundation that raises half a story above the ground. These days it is still being used as an office building. The 1st floor uses rectangle sliding windows on the south side, but it has fixed windows on the north side. Conversely, on the 2nd floor, it uses fixed windows on the south side and rectangle slides on the north side. On the 3rd, 4th and 5th floors, the Gooderham Building has single hung and arch hung windows.
The Gooderham Building has three entrances. Entrance doors are in pairs which have wooden frames for windows. There is a small pub in the basement with a large patio around the south side of the building. Entrances for the pub are located in the basement and the 1st floor. The main entrance for the Flatiron Building is located on the north side, and is made up of fanciful pinnacle dormers and arch frames with French Gothic styling. Beyond the pub, the building is open to view from Monday to Fridays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
See also
- List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto
- List of flatiron buildingsFlatiron Building (disambiguation)The Flatiron Building is a skyscraper in New York City, finished in 1902.Flatiron Building may also refer to:*Flatiron Building , 1925*Flatiron Building , 1897*Flatiron Building , 1908...