The oldest skyscraper in the CBD is the 143 m high "Commerce Court North Building" from 1930. The tallest skyscraper is the "First Canadian Place" of the Bank of Montreal with a hight of 298 m. The office building built in 1975 is still the tallest building in Canada.
The Canadian National Tower was opened in 1976 and was the tallest TV tower in the world. 2009 the 553 m high CN-Tower was trumped by the 600 m high Canton Tower in Guangzhou China. Architect of the CN-Tower was John Andrews. The observation deck on 342 m is amazing, on a clear day you can see all of Toronto and most of Lake Ontario.
The old town hall was designed by Edward J. Lennox in Neo-Romanesque style. The building was completed in 1899. The tower with a hight of 104 m dominated the skyline of Toronto for many years. In 1965 the city council moved to the New City Hall near by. Nowadays, the Old City Hall is used as courthouse.
The Finnish architect Viljo Revell won the architectural competition of 1956 with about 500 competitors. The construction of the two curved skyscrapers began in 1961. Already in 1965 the New City Hall was opened. Since then, the 99 m high building complex, houses the City Council of Toronto.
The area around Kensington Market is the most vibrant neighborhood throughout Toronto. Small, colorful, wooden houses with independent shops, make the area an experience of the senses. In 2006 Kensington Market has been honored as a "National Historic Site".
The Roy Thomson Hall was opened in 1982, architect was the Canadian Arthur Erickson. The hall hosts the Toronto International Film Festival. At the Roy Thomson Hall is also the "Walk of Fame" of Canada.
The shopping and office center "Brookfield Place" was supplemented in 1992 by the Allen Lambert Galleria. The tall hall of filigree steel girders was designed by the Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, who became famous with the Ciudad de Artes y Las Ciencias in Valencia. Brookfield Place also hosts the Hockey Hall of Fame, a must-see for all hockey fans.
Opened in 1977, the Eaton Center is the largest shopping center in the province of Ontario. The architect was the german Eberhard Zeidler, who emigrated to Canada in 1951. The fully inward-looking center influenced the architecture of many Mall's in North America.
Yonge Street was the longest road in the world with a length of 1,896 km. Today it is only 99 km long, the street was divided by motorways. Yonge Street also has Canada's busiest square, the famous Dundas Square. It looks like a small Times Square with billboards and huge advertisement screens.
The counterpart to the north-south axis of Yonge Street is Queen Street, which runs in an east-west direction. The street is well served by the trams, so there are many shops, cafes, bars and restaurants along the street. Which makes Queen Street a very urban, lively street. Graffiti Alley is also located near Queen Street. iI is a small parallel street with street art. A very popular selfie spot for Instagrammers and influencers.
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