Canada Life Building
Encyclopedia
The Canada Life Building is a historic office building in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph
and stands at 285 feet (86.9 m), 321 feet (97.8 m) including its weather beacon
.
It is located at University
and Queen Street
in the city's downtown. Work on the new headquarters of the Canada Life Assurance Company began in 1929 and it opened in 1931. It was the fourth building to serve as the headquarters of Canada Life, Canada's oldest, and at the time largest, insurance company. Previously it had been housed in offices at Bay and King Street.
The Beaux Arts structure was the first of a series of planned structures along University Avenue
, but the Great Depression
halted these plans. When it was completed it was one of the tallest buildings in Toronto. It remains one of the largest office buildings in Toronto with windows that can be opened by its occupants.
, installed on August 9, 1951. The beacon flashes green for clear weather, red for cloudy, flashing red for rain, and white for snow. Lights affixed to the support tower indicate variations in temperature.
The beacon's colour-coded translations of weather information provide onlookers with "predictions at a glance". The information is updated four times daily, seven days a week, by Environment Canada
's Weather Centre at Pearson International Airport.
The beacon was the first of its kind to appear in Canada and was built at a cost of CAD$25,000. The top of the beacon tower stands 321 feet (97.8 m) above University Avenue and, upon completion, measured third only to the Royal York Hotel
and the 476 feet (145.1 m), 34-storey Canadian Bank of Commerce Building
(the tallest in the British Commonwealth until 1962) as the tallest edifice peak in Toronto.
; it totals 16 floors and was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna
. It was completed in 2005.
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...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph
Henry Sproatt
Henry Sproatt was a Canadian architect in the early 20th Century.Born in Toronto, he trained in Europe and in New York. He formed a partnership with another celebrated architect, John A. Pearson in 1890 and with Frank Darling in 1893...
and stands at 285 feet (86.9 m), 321 feet (97.8 m) including its weather beacon
Weather beacon
A weather beacon is a beacon that indicates the local weather forecast in a code of colored or flashing lights. Often, a short poem or jingle accompanies the code to make it easier to remember....
.
It is located at University
University Avenue (Toronto)
University Avenue is a major north-south road in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At its north end, University Avenue is the site of the Ontario Legislative Building. The eight-lane wide street is the location for several hospitals, numerous office buildings, Osgoode Hall and the Four Seasons...
and Queen Street
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
in the city's downtown. Work on the new headquarters of the Canada Life Assurance Company began in 1929 and it opened in 1931. It was the fourth building to serve as the headquarters of Canada Life, Canada's oldest, and at the time largest, insurance company. Previously it had been housed in offices at Bay and King Street.
The Beaux Arts structure was the first of a series of planned structures along University Avenue
University Avenue (Toronto)
University Avenue is a major north-south road in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At its north end, University Avenue is the site of the Ontario Legislative Building. The eight-lane wide street is the location for several hospitals, numerous office buildings, Osgoode Hall and the Four Seasons...
, but the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
halted these plans. When it was completed it was one of the tallest buildings in Toronto. It remains one of the largest office buildings in Toronto with windows that can be opened by its occupants.
Weather beacon
The building is perhaps best known for its weather beaconWeather beacon
A weather beacon is a beacon that indicates the local weather forecast in a code of colored or flashing lights. Often, a short poem or jingle accompanies the code to make it easier to remember....
, installed on August 9, 1951. The beacon flashes green for clear weather, red for cloudy, flashing red for rain, and white for snow. Lights affixed to the support tower indicate variations in temperature.
The beacon's colour-coded translations of weather information provide onlookers with "predictions at a glance". The information is updated four times daily, seven days a week, by Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
's Weather Centre at Pearson International Airport.
Fairmont Royal York
The Fairmont Royal York Hotel, formerly the Royal York Hotel and still often so called, is a large and historic hotel in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at 100 Front Street West. Opened on June 11, 1929, the Royal York was designed by Ross and Macdonald and built by the Canadian Pacific Railway...
and the 476 feet (145.1 m), 34-storey Canadian Bank of Commerce Building
Commerce Court
Commerce Court is a complex of four office buildings on King- and Bay-streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The main tenant is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce...
(the tallest in the British Commonwealth until 1962) as the tallest edifice peak in Toronto.
Weather beacon signal codes
The beacon's weather codes are updated four times daily:- Steady green = fair weather
- Steady red = cloudy skies
- White flashes = scattered flurries
- Red flashes = rain
- Lights running up = rising temperatures
- Lights running down = falling temperatures
- Steady lights = steady temperature
Canada Life Tower
Canada Life Tower is an addition to the building, built directly west of the original. It connects to the original building through an enclosed, elevated walkwaySkyway
In an urban setting, a skyway, catwalk, sky bridge, or skywalk is a type of pedway consisting of an enclosed or covered bridge between two buildings. This protects pedestrians from the weather. These skyways are usually owned by businesses, and are therefore not public spaces...
; it totals 16 floors and was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna
Bruce Kuwabara
Bruce Bunji Kuwabara, B.Arch, OAA, FRAIC, RCA, AIA is a Canadian architect and partner in the firm Kuwabara Payne McKenna Blumberg Architects ....
. It was completed in 2005.
See also
- Canada Life Building, MontrealCanada Life Building, MontrealThe Canada Life Building in Montreal, Quebec, Canada was completed in 1895 by Buffalo, New York architect Richard Waite and is an example of a first-generation skyscraper....