Commerce Court
| Commerce Court | |
|---|---|
Commerce Court West in May 2009
|
|
| Alternative names | CIBC Buildings Commerce Court-North, -South, -East, -West |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Coordinates | 43°38′53″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6481°N 79.3788°WCoordinates: 43°38′53″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6481°N 79.3788°W |
| Completed | North tower: 1931 Complex: 1972 |
| Owner | British Columbia Investment Management Corporation |
| Management | GWL Realty Advisors Incorporated |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 48 foot mast antenna on Commerce Court West |
| Roof | West tower: 239 m (784 ft) North tower: 145 m (476 ft) |
| Top floor | 57 (West Tower) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | West tower: 57 North tower: 34 East tower: 14 South tower: 5 |
| Lifts/elevators | West tower: 31 North tower: 10 East tower: 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect |
York & Sawyer Page + Steele Architects I.M. Pei & Partners |
| Developer | CIBC |
| References | |
Commerce Court is a complex of four office buildings on King and Bay Streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The primary tenant is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). The buildings are a mix of Art Deco, International, and early Modernism architectural styles.
The first building, now known as Commerce Court North, was opened in 1931 as the headquarters of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, a precursor bank to the current main tenant. The building was the site of Toronto's first Wesleyan Methodist Church, a small wood chapel surrounded by woods (which later became the Metropolitan United Church) from 1818 to 1831, then as Theatre Royal from 1833 onwards. From 1887 to 1927 it was home to a seven storey head office of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, which was demolished to make way for Commerce Court North.
The Canadian Bank of Commerce head office (now Commerce Court North) was designed by the Canadian firm Pearson and Darling with the American bank specialists York and Sawyer as consulting architects. Structural engineering was provided by Harkness and Hertzberg. The 34-storey limestone clad tower was the tallest building in the British Empire/Commonwealth for roughly three decades, until 1962. At the time of its construction, the building was one of the most opulent corporate headquarters in Canada, and featured a public observation deck (since closed to the public for safety and liability concerns).
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