Beard Building

Commercial offices, Hotel in Ontario, Canada

43°39′01″N 79°22′18″W / 43.650366°N 79.371587°W / 43.650366; -79.371587Completed1893 – 1894Demolished1935Cost$60,000^[1]HeightRoof25.8 m (85 ft)Technical detailsFloor count7
1 below groundDesign and constructionArchitect(s)E. J. LennoxReferences^[2]

The Beard Building was a seven-storey, 25.38 m (83.3 ft) Richardsonian Romanesque highrise in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that is considered to be Toronto's first skyscraper.^[1] Designed by E. J. Lennox and completed in 1894, initial plans were for a nine-storey, iron-framed structure, but a more traditional wood-brick combination with seven storeys was settled upon.^[3]

The Beard Building consisted of a bank at street level, a commercial and office tower, and a hotel. A branch of The Bank of Commerce occupied the building's main space on its ground floor.^[1] Above that, the hotel never opened because of the design of the building.^[1]^[4] However, the space above the ground floor was leased to businesses as office space.^[1] The building was named after George T. Beard, the original landowner of the site.^[3]

The Beard Building was demolished in 1935^[5]^[3] and was replaced by a gas station a few years later.^[1]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Bateman, Chris (13 June 2017). "The short, mysterious life of the Beard Building". Spacing. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
^ "Emporis building ID 237788". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ ^a ^b ^c GmbH, Emporis. "The Beard Building, Toronto | 237788 | EMPORIS". Emporis. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved 2018-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ "lennox.html". 2007-09-11. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11. Retrieved 2018-10-22.
^ "Obsolete Buildings are Being Torn Down". The Toronto Daily Star. 30 July 1935. p. 7.