Looking northwest towards Yonge St and Queen St W in the Downtown Yonge area of Toronto.
The archive photo shows the original building, constructed between 1895 and 1896 for the Philip Jamieson & Company clothing store. Designed in the Renaissance Revival style by the architectural firm Curry, Baker & Co., the building featured a unique rounded corner, a suggestion made by Mr. Jamieson to the city to facilitate traffic flow. This distinct design element was highlighted in many of the store’s advertisements, which included the phrase “The Rounded Corner – Queen and Yonge Sts.”
Mr. Jamieson was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1850 and immigrated to Canada in 1873. After moving to Toronto, he became one of the most prominent merchants of his time. He was the first to install electricity in his store and the first in the city to publish a full-page newspaper ad. In 1909, Mr. Jamieson sold the building along with the land lease.
From 1912 until the mid-1970s, the building housed an F.W. Woolworth store. Afterward, the storefront transitioned into an RBC branch and then various retail shops, including Tower Records, Coast Mountain Sports, Atmosphere and SportsChek.
In 2018, significant restoration work began on the building to transform it into a high-end retail space connected to the Eaton Centre. Although there were plans to salvage and restore much of the original structure, it had deteriorated beyond repair due to overcladding and decades of wear and tear. ERA Architects and Zeidler Architecture collaborated on the restoration of the terracotta and masonry façade, reconstructing it with over 40,000 replica bricks, stones, and terracotta pieces.
Then and Now
SOURCE
- City of Toronto Heritage Register
- Heritage Toronto
- Ontario Heritage Trust
- Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Jul 24, 1895, pg 8
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Mar 2, 1896, pg 7
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Feb 2, 1909, pg 1
- The Globe Newspaper Archives: Feb 22, 1909, pg 5
- Canadian Architect and Builder, Volume 9, Number 1, Jan 1896, pg 14
- Zeidler Architecture: 2 Queen West
- Photo: Denise Marie for TorontoJourney416
- Vintage Photo: Toronto Public Library
- City of Toronto: Maps
- Toronto City Directory courtesy of Toronto Public Library
