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Commerce Court East

Commerce Court
Toronto - ON - Commerce Court West.jpg
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°W / 43.6481; -79.3788Coordinates: 43°38′53″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6481°N 79.3788°W / 43.6481; -79.3788
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 American bank specialists York and Sawyer with the notable Canadian firm Darling and Pearson as the local architects of record. 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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