The Park Hyatt Toronto is a Hyatt

Hyatt

Hyatt Hotels Corporation , is an international operator of hotels.Hyatt Center is the headquarters for Hyatt corporation...

 hotel

Hotel

A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...

 in the Yorkville

Yorkville, Toronto

Yorkville is a district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, well known for its shopping. It is a former village, annexed by the City of Toronto. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Davenport Road to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west, and is considered part of...

 area of 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...

, 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...

. Long the independent Park Plaza Hotel it is one of the most venerable hotels in the city.

The hotel is located at the northwestern corner of Bloor Street

Bloor Street

Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...

 and Avenue Road. The first known building on the site was a small wayside inn built in 1820 and named Tecumseh Wigwag. Then a considerable distance from the city it served travellers on their way north out of town. The inn was demolished around 1875.

Originally planned to be called the Queen's Park Plaza it was designed by Hugh G. Holman. Construction began in 1928 and was due to be completed in 1929; however, stock market crash and the beginning of 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...

 caused its builder to go out of business. The steel framed structure was left partially completed for several years as various attempts to restart it failed. It was finally completed and opened for business in 1936, with rooms costing $3 per night and up. It was expanded with a second tower added to the north, the new building being a modernist structure designed by Peter Dickinson

Peter Dickinson (architect)

Peter Allgood Rastall Dickinson, , was a British-born architect responsible for many modernist buildings in Toronto....

.

Located across the street from the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

 the hotel became especially known as one of the centres for Canadian literature and authors, especially the rooftop patio that has existed since it opened. As a result the hotel has appeared in works by a number of Canadian writers including Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Eleanor Atwood, is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, and environmental activist. She is among the most-honoured authors of fiction in recent history; she is a winner of the Arthur C...

, Morley Callaghan

Morley Callaghan

Morley Callaghan, was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, TV and radio personality.-Biography:...

, Mordecai Richler

Mordecai Richler

Mordecai Richler, CC was a Canadian Jewish author, screenwriter and essayist. A leading critic called him "the great shining star of his Canadian literary generation" and a pivotal figure in the country's history. His best known works are The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Barney's Version,...

, and Hugh Garner

Hugh Garner

Hugh Garner was a Canadian novelist.Born in Batley, Yorkshire, England, Garner came to Canada in 1919 with his parents, and was raised in Toronto, Ontario. During the Great Depression, he rode the rails in both Canada and the United States, and then joined the International Brigades in the Spanish...

. Also near Queen's Park it was also a popular site for many provincial government officials. With the Big Blue Machine

Big Blue Machine

The Big Blue Machine was a nickname for the group of strategists and advisors to the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party in Ontario, Canada, in the 1970s and 1980s. The moniker was coined by journalist Claire Hoy of the Toronto Star in April 1971...

 holding frequent meetings there.

In the 1971 the Four Seasons opened across the street and the Park Plaza lost its title as the most prestigious of the Yorkville hotels. In 1995 the hotel was put into receivership, but was purchased by new owners who began a complete overhaul. Added were such features as an almost 2000 square feet (185.8 m²) penthouse, to woo back the wealthiest guests.

In 1999 it was purchased by the Hyatt chain, at what was then calculated to be the highest cost per room ever paid in Canada.