University of Toronto Graduate House
Encyclopedia
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...
is a student residence specifically for graduate students, designed by Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne is a Los Angeles-based architect. Educated at University of Southern California and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1978, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture in 1972, where he is a trustee...
. It is located at 60 Harbord Street, 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...
.
History
Before 2000, the Graduate Student Residence was a building at 321 Bloor known the St. George Apartments. The four-storey U-shaped residence, built in 1926, was designed by the firm of Paisley & Marani. On August 18, 1976, the building was added into the City of Toronto's Inventory of Heritage Properties. In 2001, the University began the process to redevelop the site to accommodate the Woodsworth CollegeWoodsworth College
Woodsworth College, named after politician and clergyman James Shaver Woodsworth , is a college within the University of Toronto. It is the largest college in the Faculty of Arts and Science on the St. George Campus. It is also the newest of the colleges at the University of Toronto, created in...
residence.
The new Graduate House opened in 2000 and accommodates 424 students.
Building
Located on the western edge of the campus, on the north-east corner of Spadina AvenueSpadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods....
and Harbord Street, the residence marks the main western entrance to the campus with a long structure extending halfway over Harbord Street featuring a massive "University of Toronto" sign. The building is considered one of the more important works of architect Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne
Thom Mayne is a Los Angeles-based architect. Educated at University of Southern California and the Harvard University Graduate School of Design in 1978, Mayne helped found the Southern California Institute of Architecture in 1972, where he is a trustee...
, who won the Pritzker Prize in 2005. The building won a number of awards, but its design was not without controversy with a number of students and area residents criticizing its unusual façade and concrete interior.
Graduate House contains two to five bedroom apartment-style suites for full-time Graduate and Second-Entry Professional Faculty single students. The residence also contains various amenities including underground parking, bike storage, a laundry room, a reading room, and a common room.