Canadian office tower, built 1929, demolished 1970
The Old Toronto Star Building was an Art Deco office tower in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was at 80 King Street West and was the headquarters of the "Toronto Star" newspaper from 1929 until 1970. The building was demolished in 1972 to make way for the construction of First Canadian Place.
The skyscraper is the second tallest voluntarily demolished building in Canada behind the tall Empire Landmark Hotel that was demolished in 2019.
Overview.
The building was designed by the firm of Chapman and Oxley and opened in 1929. It was 22 storeys and tall. The front facade around the main entrance was clad in granite, the entrance itself having a bronze screen. The first three floors of the building were clad in granite; the upper floors in limestone. On the third floor, the facade was wrapped in elaborate stonework in geometric and floral motifs, which also adorned the interior and the limestone piers at the crest of the building. The first six floors were built in reinforced concrete, while the tower was built with a structural steel frame.
The first six stories held the offices of the "Star", and the rest was rental office space. The 21st floor housed the newspaper's radio studios. The ground floor facing King Street housed a few retail stores and a Stoodleigh's Restaurant at the east end. The basement had a restaurant and barbershop.
Some stonework from the building can be found at Guild Park and Gardens, along with other portions of facades of lost buildings of Toronto.
In popular culture.
"Superman" co-creator Joe Shuster, a Toronto native and former "Star" newsboy, used the building as a model for the "Daily Planet" Building.
References.
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