The Beard Building was a seven-storey, 25.38 m (83.3 ft) Richardsonian Romanesque highrise in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that is considered to be Toronto's first skyscraper.[1] Designed by E. J. Lennox and completed in 1894, initial plans were for a nine-storey, iron-framed structure, but a more traditional wood-brick combination with seven storeys was settled upon.[3]
| Beard Building | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Status | Demolished |
| Type | Commercial offices Hotel |
| Architectural style | Romanesque Revival |
| Location | 163 King Street East Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°39′01″N 79°22′18″W / 43.650366°N 79.371587°W |
| Completed | 1893 – 1894 |
| Demolished | 1935 |
| Cost | $60,000[1] |
| Height | |
| Roof | 25.8 m (85 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 7 1 below ground |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | E. J. Lennox |
| References | |
| [2] | |
The Beard Building consisted of a bank at street level, a commercial and office tower, and a hotel. A branch of The Bank of Commerce occupied the building's main space on its ground floor.[1] Above that, the hotel never opened because of the design of the building.[1][4] However, the space above the ground floor was leased to businesses as office space.[1] The building was named after George T. Beard, the original landowner of the site.[3]
The Beard Building was demolished in 1935[5][3] and was replaced by a gas station a few years later.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f Bateman, Chris (13 June 2017). "The short, mysterious life of the Beard Building". Spacing. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
- ^ "Emporis building ID 237788". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c GmbH, Emporis. "The Beard Building, Toronto | 237788 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "lennox.html". 2007-09-11. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
- ^ "Obsolete Buildings are Being Torn Down". The Toronto Daily Star. 30 July 1935. p. 7.
Further reading
edit- Litvak, Marilyn M. (1995). "The City Hall Years". Edward James Lennox: "Builder of Toronto". Toronto: Dundurn Press. p. 37. ISBN 9781554881505. Retrieved 6 August 2013.