The Beard Building is regarded as Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

's first skyscraper

Skyscraper

A skyscraper is a tall, continuously habitable building of many stories, often designed for office and commercial use. There is no official definition or height above which a building may be classified as a skyscraper...

, and was completed in 1894. Designed by E.J. Lennox, It was planned to be a nine-storey, iron-framed structure, but it only reached seven storeys when completed and was a more traditional wood/brick combination.

The Beard Building was a bank at street level, a commercial and office tower, and a hotel. The building was named after George Beard, the original landowner of the site at Jarvis St. and King St. East.

It was demolished in the mid 1930s, but surrounding structures, including St. Lawrence Hall

St. Lawrence Hall

St. Lawrence Hall is a meeting hall in Toronto, Canada next to the St. Lawrence Market. It was built, alongside the new city hall, in 1850 after an 1849 fire destroyed much of the market. The Renaissance Revival style building was designed by William Thomas. It was created to be Toronto's public...

, in the intersection survive to this day. The current site is occupied by a low rise condo development.