89 Chestnut Residence is a university residence operated by the University of Toronto, opposite the downtown Toronto DoubleTree hotel (formerly the Metropolitan Hotel) at 89 Chestnut Street. It was converted from the Colony Hotel in 2004 and turned into a student residence to accommodate the incoming double cohort in 2003 and 2004. It is located in downtown Toronto.
The building was originally constructed by the firm Armstrong and Molesworth as a Motel 11, now a discontinued brand of motels. When it opened as the Holiday Inn Downtown in 1972, it was the fourth largest hotel in the city, with 749 rooms. It cost some $18 million to build and was built on the site of many small buildings of what was then the centre of Toronto's First Chinatown. [1] The hotel was purchased by Hong Kong investor Sally Aw for $73 million in 1989 and renamed the Colony Hotel.[ citation needed ] The hotel was later partly owned by Aw's listed company Sing Tao Holdings, via Singdeer Joint Ventures. Aw sold Singtao Holdings in 1999. The university purchased the hotel for C$67.6 million in 2003 from Global China Group Holdings (the new owner of ex-Sing Tao Holdings' media business) and other owner of the joint venture, [2] at the height of a downturn in Toronto's hotel industry.
Prior to buying the hotel, the University of Toronto had rented space to house 400 students at the Primrose Hotel at Jarvis and Carlton. [3]
It has nearly 1000 residents from the University of Toronto and the Ontario College of Art and Design University. Until September 2008, it also accepted new applicants attending George Brown College and Toronto Metropolitan University. [4]
It has a conference centre and a revolving room on the 27th floor (opened as La Ronde restaurant in 1972 and now student lounge called The Lookout). It is the most expensive residence of all University of Toronto residences and has a reputation of providing luxurious accommodation and food. The university retained the hotel chef after purchasing it. [5] Chestnut is also home to a larger number of international students than any other residence. [6]
The Chestnut Residence Council is the student governing body for social, athletic and community affairs of the Residence. It organizes activities such as: the annual Chestnut semi-formal, coffee houses and open mic nights, ski and snowboarding trips, and intramural sports tournaments.
Victoria University is a federated university, which forms part of the wider University of Toronto. The school was founded in 1836 by the Wesleyan Methodist Church of Canada as a nonsectarian literary institution. From 1841 to 1890, Victoria operated as an independent degree-granting university, before federating with the University of Toronto in 1890, relocating from Cobourg to Toronto.
Innis College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Toronto. It is one of the University of Toronto's smallest colleges in terms of size and the second smallest college in terms of population with approximately 2000 registered students. It is located in the campus' historic west end, directly north of Robarts Library, and is named after prominent University of Toronto political economist Harold Innis.
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Toronto in Canada. One of the larger colleges, with approximately 5,000 students, it stands on Huron Street at the west end of the downtown St. George campus, nestled alongside the Athletic Centre, the Earth Sciences Centre, Sidney Smith Hall and the Ramsey Wright Zoology Laboratory.
Sing Tao News Corporation Limited is a Hong Kong media company, incorporated in Bermuda. It was formerly called Global China Group Holdings Limited.
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Sing Tao Holdings Limited was a Bermuda-incorporated company, but headquartered in Hong Kong. The company was listed in The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. The company was a media and property conglomerate until it was dismantled in 2002. After selling the main media business and subsequent takeover in mid-2002, the legal person of the listed company, along with its property business, was renamed into Shanghai Ming Yuan Holdings.
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The Brass Rail is one of Toronto's downtown strip clubs. It is located on Yonge Street just south of Bloor. It is well known as a popular venue for celebrities, especially during the Toronto International Film Festival, which is based at the nearby luxury hotels of Yorkville. Stars that have been observed there include Samuel L. Jackson, Charlize Theron, Alex Rodriguez, and Colin Farrell. The Brass Rail was one of the first venues Paul Shaffer worked in, serving as host and musician.
The Hotel Waverly was a four-storey low-rise hotel in downtown Toronto. Opened in 1900, the hotel was built for J.J. Powell. It was one of the oldest Toronto hotels in continuous operation.
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