1970 Views | Aug 15 2019, 11:10pm
The Terminal
The 1920s in Toronto was a time for Jazz, prosperity, raw material exports were up, unemployment was down, and we were well on the path of recovery from the first World War. Toronto was rumoured to be one of exporters to the United States for alcohol during their prohibition. The likes of gangsters such as Al Capone are said to have walked our streets and arranged spirits manufactured from distillers such Gooderham & Worts to be smuggled back to the US. Much of the importing and exporting at the time was done either by boat or by rail. Toronto’s waterfront was a main hub of the import export scene supported by both methods. Items arriving on boats would be moved onto trains and delivered across the country. In 1926 Construction began on The Terminal Warehouse Building and completed in February 1927. The building was unique as it had two rail lines feeding into the building and was utilized as both a storage for dry goods and a refrigerated storage warehouse. The Terminal produced around 130 tonnes of ice per day that it would use to pack perishable goods onto rail cars. The building was Art Deco in design and one of the largest poured concrete buildings ever built in Canada at the time.
1929 Queens Quay Terminal by the Toronto Star
"The Bluenose" moored beside the Terminal Warehouse in 1933. The famous ship from Nova Scotia that appears on the back of the Canadian dime.
MORE ON THE QUEEN'S QUAY TERMINAL
Toronto’s architectural gems—Queen’s Quay Terminal
Toronto's Historical Plaques
This is what Queen's Quay in Toronto looked like before the condos
Sadly, by the 1970s this once great building was not what it was back in the twenties. The Ontario government purchased the building from its owners as part of the plans to develop the cities waterfront. Architectural firm Zeidler Roberts Partnership was contract and at a cost of $60 Million dollars the terminal was transformed. Opening in 1983, the building now housed; two levels of retail (83,000 SF) , six levels of office (365,000 SF) , a 450 seat dance theater (25,000SF), and four levels of residential (72 Units) (172,000 SF). The residential component was installed by adding four levels onto the original structure.
The beginning of the Termainal's refresh in 1982.
The Queens Quay Terminal on the Skyline of Toronto in the late 80s.
In November 2017, Cubecom officially called the Terminal our new home. The building is also a stable mate in Toronto’s cityscape. The terminal is home to many office users such as ourselves and a ground floor of retail. In Late 2018, Northam Realty Purchased the building from Brookfield and the rest…. Who knows?
We're in the middle of the fourth floor, facing the water. Can you find us in the pictures?
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CUBECOM CHRONICLES:
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Edited by: Linh Nguyen
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