CIL Building

Last updated

The CIL Building is a fourteen-storey office tower located at 130 Bloor Street West in Toronto, Ontario. Designed by the architectural firm Bregman and Hamann and completed in 1960, the building is one of Toronto's best examples of International Style architecture. The CIL building is best known for its two-storey penthouse, which was originally occupied by businessman Noah Torno and is now a designated historic property. [1]

Contents

History

Built for Canadian Industries Limited, the CIL building's construction was financed by the Bronfman family's holding company, Cemp Investments. The building was designed by the Toronto firm Bregman and Hamann, which was founded in 1953 by Sidney Bregman and George Hamann. Their design showcases the hallmark of the International Style - the curtain wall - with a glass grade-level storefront.

In 2005 the CIL Building was purchased King Street Capital, who shortly thereafter announced their intention to undertake a major addition to the building. The addition was designed by Toronto firm Quadrangle Architects, led by Brian Curtner. [2] This construction saw the addition of seven storeys of on top of the penthouse, as well as the removal of the large sections of the eleventh and twelfth floors. The addition was completed in 2009. Although this heavily obscured its exterior, the interior of the penthouse was not allowed to be modified due to its historic designation. The 11th and 12th floors were constructed as condominiums, and the remaining are listed as office space. [3]

Local newspaper YongeStreet speculated as to the nature of the building's residents, as the apartments in the building were rumored to run as high as $25 million dollars. [2]

Torno Penthouse

Above the twelve-storey office tower is a two-storey penthouse, which has a separate entrance at 155 Cumberland Street. The penthouse was originally occupied by Noah Torno (d. 2004), a businessman who worked in the brewing industry for the Bronfman family, and his wife Rose Laine Torno (d. 2002). In addition to his from his professional career, Torno dedicated much of his time to philanthropic and cultural endeavours in Toronto, at various times working for the Royal Ontario Museum, O'Keefe Centre, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and Mount Sinai Hospital. [4] The penthouse is structured as two offset rectangles, is clad in black brick, and features floor-to-ceiling windows on the south-facing side of the structure. It has been alleged that Torno hired American architect Philip Johnson to design the interior, although this has not been proven. Globe and Mail architecture critic John Bentley Mays claimed in an article that, according to Brian Curtner of Quadrangle Architects, there is nothing in Johnson's papers that mentions the project, and there is only one piece of evidence that indicates Johnson and Torno knew one another. [5] In addition, photographs of the penthouse appear in the Panda Associates Collection at the Canadian Architectural Archives which name Gordon Adamson as the designer. The Architectural Conservatory of Toronto lists Philip Johnson, not Gordon Adamson, as the designer. [6] Because of its size, historical clout, and unobstructed views over Queen's Park, the Torno Penthouse is now one of the country's most expensive properties.

Interior design

A 2012 National Post article listed the penthouse as 10,000 square feet with an additional 5,000 feet in various terraces. The interior is described as having travertine walls imported from the Bufalini quarry in Italy, as well as 400 year old oak paneling in the library. [7]

John Bentley Mays for The Globe and Mail wrote,

The Torno suite ... is a notable instance of mid-century American modernist ideas put to work in a luxurious residential setting. The plain, elegant staircase connecting the two floors of the apartment floats upward from a stern, skylit entry hall floored and walled with travertine, the light beige stone that was always power-style modernism's favourite indicator of swankiness. The 11-foot planes of floor-to-ceiling glass on the exterior walls dramatically light the stately main-floor rooms, which are trimmed in handsomely cut and finished oak. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Eaton Centre</span> Shopping mall and office complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

CF Toronto Eaton Centre, commonly referred to simply as Eaton Centre, is a shopping mall and office complex in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is owned and managed by Cadillac Fairview (CF). It was named after the Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it before the chain went defunct in the late 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto-Dominion Centre</span> Office complex in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Toronto-Dominion Centre, or TD Centre, is an office complex of six skyscrapers in the Financial District of downtown Toronto owned by Cadillac Fairview. It serves as the global headquarters for its anchor tenant, the Toronto-Dominion Bank, and provides office and retail space for many other businesses. The complex consists of six towers and a pavilion covered in bronze-tinted glass and black-painted steel. Approximately 21,000 people work in the complex, making it the largest commercial office complex in Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloor–Yonge station</span> Toronto subway station

Bloor–Yonge is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University and Line 2 Bloor–Danforth in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located in Downtown Toronto, under the intersection of Yonge Street and Bloor Street, it is the busiest subway station in the system, handling over 200,000 passengers on an average weekday. Wi-Fi is available at this station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North York Civic Centre</span>

The North York Civic Centre is a municipal government building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1979 as the city hall of the former city of North York. It is located in North York City Centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manulife Centre</span> Building in Toronto

The Manulife Centre is located on the southeast corner of Bay and Bloor streets, along the Mink Mile and adjacent to the southern edge of the Yorkville district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It consists of a 51-storey 800-suite luxury residential tower at 44 Charles Street and a shorter tower at 55 Bloor Street West, connected by a retail complex on the main floor and basement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brookfield Place (Toronto)</span> Office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Brookfield Place is an office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, comprising the 2.1 ha (5.2-acre) block bounded by Yonge Street, Wellington Street West, Bay Street, and Front Street. The complex contains 242,000 m2 (2,604,866 sq ft) of office space, and consists of two towers, Bay Wellington Tower and TD Canada Trust Tower, linked by the Allen Lambert Galleria. Brookfield Place is also the home of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Yonge Street</span> Toronto Star headquarters

One Yonge Street is a 25-storey office building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building served as the headquarters of Torstar and its flagship newspaper, the Toronto Star, from 1971 to 2022. It is 100 metres tall and built in the International style. It was built as a replacement to the Old Toronto Star Building, which was located at 80 King Street West. That building was torn down to make room for First Canadian Place.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Two Bloor West</span> Commercial offices in Ontario, Canada

Two Bloor West, is an office building at the intersection of Yonge Street and Bloor Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is sometimes referred to as Toronto's CIBC building, but that name can also refer to Commerce Court.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uptown Theatre (Toronto)</span>

The Uptown Theatre was a historic movie theatre in Toronto, Ontario which was demolished in 2003. The entrance to the theatre was located on Yonge Street just south of Bloor. Like many theatres of the time it was constructed so that only the entrance was on a major thoroughfare while the main building fronted on a side street. A bridge connected the two buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B+H Architects</span> Canadian architectural and engineering firm

B+H Architects or BH Architects is a Canadian architectural and engineering firm headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. The firm was founded in 1953 by Sidney Bregman and George Hamann.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One Bloor</span> Skyscraper on Bloor Street and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada

One Bloor, previously One Bloor East and Number One Bloor, is a mixed-use skyscraper at the intersection of Bloor Street and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The project was initially launched by developer Bazis International Inc. in 2007, before being cancelled and re-developed by Great Gulf. As of 2018, it is the tenth-tallest residential building outside of Asia and the 40th tallest residential building in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koffler Student Centre</span>

The Koffler Student Centre is the main student centre at the University of Toronto, located at 214 College Street. The centre houses a number of different student services, including the main campus bookstore, career centre, and health clinic. The ornate building is located at the northwest corner of St. George and College Street streets in a building that was formerly the home of the Toronto Reference Library.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Casa Condominio Residenza</span> Residential in Toronto, Ontario

Casa Condominio Residenza, or The CASA, is a high-rise condominium building at 33 Charles Street East near the intersection of Bloor Street and Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It features a New Modernist design by architectsAlliance emphasizing glass curtain wall, with balconies wrapped around the building from the podium to the top. An overhanging concrete slab concludes the design at the roof of the final floor. It is lit from underneath at night. The balconies themselves have transparent glazed balustrades, and the podium's main facade facing Charles Street also makes use of glass curtain wall extensively, framed with black brick.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto</span> Luxury condominium and hotel

The Four Seasons Hotel and Residences Toronto is a complex consisting of a 204-metre, 55-storey residential condominium tower and a 125-meter, 30-storey luxury hotel tower in the Yorkville district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which opened on October 5, 2012. Located at 60 Yorkville Avenue, at its intersection with Bay Street, the complex is situated one block east of the former Four Seasons Hotel Toronto building at 21 Avenue Road.

David Pontarini, OAA, AAA, FRAIC, AIA is a Canadian architect and founding partner of Hariri Pontarini Architects in 1994, alongside Siamak Hariri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thornton–Smith Building</span> Building in Ontario, Canada

The Thornton–Smith Building, located at 340 Yonge Street, is a prominent heritage building in the heart of downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Since the completion of the building in the twenties, Yonge Street has seen many transformations and while tenants in the building have reflected these changes The Thornton–Smith Building itself has remained true to its original architecture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Mizrahi</span> Canadian real estate developer (born 1971)

Sam Mizrahi is an Iranian-born Canadian real estate developer who is active in Toronto. Mizrahi is currently the president of a number of corporations, including Mizrahi Developments, Mizrahi Inc. and Mizrahi Enterprises Inc. He is best known for being the developer of The One skyscraper at the intersection of Yonge and Bloor streets in Toronto. In 2015, Toronto Life named him the 45th most influential person in Toronto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The One (Toronto)</span> Supertall skyscraper in Toronto

The One is a supertall skyscraper currently under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. If completed, it will be the tallest building in Canada. At 328.4 metres and 91 storeys, it will be taller than First Canadian Place, which has been Canada's tallest building since 1975. It will also be Canada's first supertall skyscraper, as defined by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat. Construction of the building is estimated to be completed by March 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BDP Quadrangle (architecture firm)</span> Canadian architecture and interior design firm

BDP Quadrangle is the North American studio of UK-based global architecture, design, and urbanism firm, BDP.

References

  1. ↑ "City of Toronto By-Law No. 1033-2007" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Archer, Bert (2010-01-20). "Secret condos admit first residents on Cumberland". YongeStreet. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  3. ↑ "Throwback Thursday: 155 Cumberland and 130 Bloor Street West | UrbanToronto". urbantoronto.ca. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  4. ↑ "130 Bloor Street West (Torno Penthouse) - Inclusion on the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties" (PDF).
  5. 1 2 "Modernist condo a deluxe perch above Bloor". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2016-11-26.
  6. ↑ "ACO Toronto - CIL Building". www.acotoronto.ca. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  7. ↑ Brown, Kelvin (May 23, 2012). "Kelvin Browne: Perchance to dream of a penthouse". National Post.

43°40′10.1″N79°23′33.6″W / 43.669472°N 79.392667°W / 43.669472; -79.392667

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.