Yonge-Bay Corridor

MaRS Discovery District
101 College Street
The MaRS Discovery District is the largest urban innovation hub in North America, supporting over 1,400 companies that are attempting to solve great societal problems. It is partially housed in a former Toronto General Hospital (TGH) building, a heritage-designated structure dating back to the 1910s that was designed by legendary Toronto architects Darling & Pearson. A plaque out front of the building on College Street notes its historic importance as Toronto's first general infirmary. Some world-first medical procedures developed at TGH include the first clinical use of insulin as a diabetes treatment in 1922, and the first successful single and double lung transplants in 1983 and 1986 respectively. The building was renovated for its new tenant in 2010, with many historical features being preserved, and an additional three towers were constructed to add over 1.5 million square feet of office, lab, meeting, and event space.

Former Victoria Hospital for Sick Children
67 College Street
This beautiful heritage-designated building was designed by architects Darling and Curry, who were also responsible for the building the Hockey Hall of Fame is now situated in as well as Little Trinity Church on King Street East. It is designed in Richardsonian Romanesque style and is constructed largely of red sandstone. It was originally opened as the Victoria Children's Hospital in May 1892, the first hospital in Canada dedicated exclusively for treating children. Its origins dated back to 1875, when Toronto a group of Toronto women led by Elizabeth McMaster rented out an 11-room house with six cots intended to admit and treat six children. After moving here, the hospital incorporated some of the most innovative medical techniques available at the time, including X-rays in 1896 and milk pasteurization in 1909. It eventually became what is now the Hospital for Sick Children and moved to their current site on University Avenue in 1951.

College Park
444 Yonge Street
The building now known as College Park was originally built as a seven-storey location for Eaton's department store. Construction began in 1928 and was completed in 1930. The exterior was designed in an Art Deco style with classical embellishments including Greek and Roman designs, as well as floral motifs. The top floor of the building is a 1300-seat concert hall named after the architect Jacques Carlu, which has since been designated a National Historic Site. The auditorium played host to major performers including Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra. With the opening of Toronto Eaton Centre in 1977, Eaton's College Street closed to make way for their new flagship location. Behind the building is College Park, which is a vital and sustainable public open space. It reopened in 2019 after a major revitalization. College Park has gardens, green space, a children's play area, reflecting pool and the Barbara Ann Scott Ice Trail, named after the famous Canadian figure skater.

Eaton Centre
220 Yonge Street
The massive Eaton Centre shopping mall has been a mainstay of downtown Toronto since it first opened in 1977. It was primarily designed by architect Eberhard Zeidler, featuring a 274 metre-long glass atrium flanked by 3 levels of stores and restaurants. Zeidler's design with the large atriums influenced the design of many malls constructed across North America afterward. The original design of the centre incorporated an entire city block and involved demolishing both the adjacent Church of the Holy Trinity and Old City Hall, but these plans were revised after widespread public outcry. The primary tenant and namesake of the mall was Eaton's department store, which for a time was the largest department store retailer in Canada. The mall was immediately popular, though some believed that its opening helped contribute to the decline of the Yonge Street strip. Today the Eaton Centre remains among the largest shopping malls in Canada, and is among Toronto's most popular tourist attractions.

Church of the Holy Trinity & Toronto Public Labyrinth
19 Trinity Square
This heritage-designated church dates back to 1874, when it opened thanks to a large donation by Mary Lambert Swale, who stipulated that all pews were to be free and unreserved in perpetuity, a rarity at this time. The church became a home and incubator for members of the LGBTQ2S+ community in the 1970s, with the Community Homophile Association of Toronto holding their first meetings and dances here, and the Metropolitan Community Church of Toronto holding some of their first services here. The church is also home to the Toronto Homeless Memorial, which was founded by housing activist Bonnie Briggs in the 1990s to remember those who have died as a result of homelessness in the city. There is also a labyrinth in Trinity Square Park beside the church that was opened in 2005, which remains a popular and calming activity in the square.

Textile Museum
55 Centre Street
This unique attraction is the only museum in Canada dedicated to textile arts, featuring exhibitions by local, national, and international artists. It first opened in 1975 as the Canadian Museum of Carpets and Textiles at a small location in the Mirvish Village neighbourhood. It moved into this location in 1989, with an updated mandate to include international contemporary art, craft, and design exhibitions. Today the museum boasts more than 15,000 objects in its collection, with some notable items including a salmon skin suit from China, 2,000 year old Nazca fragments from Peru, and a hooked rug by artist Florence Ryder that incorporates traditional Sioux designs. Readers of 'NOW Magazine' voted it one of the best museums in the city in a reader poll in 2019.

City Hall, Nathan Phillips Square, The Ward, Old City Hall & the Original Toronto Coat of Arms
Bay Street and Queen Street West
Nathan Phillips Square is a vibrant and active space that includes Toronto City Hall, features several public art pieces that can be found in Sculpture Court, the Toronto Sign, and the Peace Garden that commemorates the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. This property is also located in what used to be known as The Ward. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area was a dense slum, home to the poor and impoverished and was officially known as St. John's Ward, and was home to Toronto's first Chinatown. Filming done at Toronto City Hall includes scenes from 'The Handmaids Tale', 'The Expanse' and 'Resident Evil'. Across the way (at corner of Bay Street) is Old City Hall which officially opened in 1899 after 10 years of construction. Installed in the building is a stained glass representation of the original Toronto Coat of Arms. The City of Toronto has had at least two coats of arms. The first was created following the incorporation of the city in 1834, when the city was also renamed back to 'Toronto' from 'York'. The current Toronto coat of arms originated in 1998 when, following the amalgamation of the Greater Toronto Area, the coat of arms was updated with new iconography. The original coat of arms consisted of a shield framed by two figures on either side, with a beaver and crown placed on top and a banner below. One of the figures, a cloaked and helmeted woman holding a trident and shield, represents Britannia, the personification of Britain. The other, a generic depiction of an eighteenth century First Nations man with a bow and axe, is presumably meant to represent the First Nations of the area of Toronto. The iconography of the shield includes a red maple leaf, gold lions, a white rose, a gear, and a steamship, representing Canada, Britain, York, and industry, respectively. On the banner are written the words, 'Industry, Intelligence, Integrity'. The references to industry and the beaver speak to Toronto's character at the time as a 'resource town' with origins in the early fur trade. In January 1999, the current coat of arms became official. 'Diversity Our Strength' became the new city motto. A yellow shield in the centre of the design is marked by two blue lines that represent the two towers of City Hall. The bear represents strength and protection while the beaver is included as a symbol of industry. The inclusion of the eagle acknowledges that Toronto is built on the traditional territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, whose logo also incorporates an eagle.

Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Osgoode Hall and Memorial Row
University Avenue and Queen Street West
The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is home to both the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada. It is the first building in Canada built specifically for opera and ballet performances. Inaugurated in 2006, the building features enough wardrobe storage to accommodate three complete productions. The glass staircase in the Isadore and Rosalie Sharp City Room is one of a kind and the longest free-spanning glass staircase in the world. Across Queen Street to the north is Osgoode Hall. This late-Palladian style building surrounded by the iron fence was completed in 1832. Named after the first Chief Justice of Upper Canada, William Osgoode, it now houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Law Society of Ontario and more. South on University Avenue is the Adam Beck Memorial, and north of Queen Street, the South African War Memorial. These sculptures are part of a series of monuments displayed along the middle of University Avenue, colloquially known as Memorial Row.

Zhang Huan 'Rising'
180 University Avenue
'Rising' was conceived as a philosophical reflection of the world around us. The polished stainless-steel sculpture is comprised of countless doves, the international symbol of world peace, and a twisted tree branch that resembles the body of a dragon. The sculpture draws an analogy to the fragile conditions facing our planet. The artist seeks to convey the message that humans can exist in harmony with nature, and that, if this delicate balance is struck, our cities will become better places to live.

Former Bishop's Block
192 Adelaide Street West
This heritage-designated building has a fascinating history. It originally opened in 1829 as Bishop's Block, was converted into the Adelaide Hotel in the 1850s, and was home to the famous Pretzel Bell Tavern for a time in the 1970s, after which it sat largely abandoned for the next 30 years. The construction of the massive Shangri-La Hotel adjacent to the building gave it new life and uncovered many treasures from the past. While construction was underway, numerous artifacts were discovered beneath the building, prompting an archaeological dig that involved digging 6 trenches to expose the foundations and backyard features of 4 townhouses. In total, 70,000 artifacts were recovered, some of which are now displayed inside the Shangri-La Hotel.

TD Centre, The PATH System, & Joe Fafard 'The Pasture'
66 Wellington Street West
These black office towers are among the most recognizable in downtown Toronto. Designed by world-famous German architect Mies van der Rohe, they completely transformed Toronto's skyline when they first opened in the late 1960s with their simple, modern, and elegant design sharply contrasting with the much smaller, mostly classical structures surrounding them. Today the TD Centre is the largest business complex in Canada with over 4.3 million square feet of office space. The shopping complex in the basement of the TD Centre served as a catalyst for the expansion and development of the PATH system, which now connects over 75 buildings with over 1,200 shops, restaurants, and services, making it one of the largest underground commercial shopping complexes in the world. There is also a wonderful piece of public art found in the grass beside the towers known as 'The Pasture', a piece by Canadian artist Joe Fafard that features several bronze cows lounging on the lawn.

Canadian Bank of Commerce Building
25 King Street West
This majestic heritage-designated tower was originally constructed between 1929 and 1931, designed jointly by Toronto architects Darling and Pearson and New York architectural firm York & Sawyer. When it opened, it was the tallest building in the British Empire, a title it retained until 1962, when it was surpassed by the CIBC Building in Montreal. Some notable architectural features of the building include some beautifully carved Romanesque Revival detailing and a vaulted main banking hall that was said to be modelled after Rome's Baths of Carcella. For a time it featured a popular observation deck that offered sweeping views over the downtown core on its 32nd floor that was visited by over 200,000 visitors by the time of its 25th anniversary. It was incorporated into the design of the adjacent Commerce Court complex that was designed by architect IM Pei and constructed between 1968 and 1972.

Hockey Hall of Fame & Brookfield Place
30 Yonge Street & 181 Bay Street
The Hockey Hall of Fame (HHOF) is one of the premier sporting shrines in the world, featuring the finest collection of hockey artifacts from around the globe. Located in a heritage-designated building dating to 1885 that previously housed a Bank of Montreal branch, almost 300 players have been inducted into the HHOF, including prominent Toronto Maple Leafs players such as Darryl Sittler, who continues to hold the NHL record for most points in one game, and George Armstrong, an Indigenous player who was the longest serving captain in team history. The HHOF is attached to the Brookfield Place office complex, which features 'Galleria', one of the most stunning pieces of architecture in downtown Toronto. Designed by world-famous Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, it is a soaring atrium with a parabolic arched roof that has won numerous accolades, including a City of Toronto Urban Design Award.

Scott Burton 'Garden Court'
181 Bay Street
This intriguing work of public art is located amidst the large towers of the Financial District, featuring an outdoor plaza with seating and lampposts surrounding a central island of plantings and a reflecting pool. The work was among the last of LGBTQ2S+ artist Scott Burton, who tragically died of AIDS in 1989, 3 years before 'Garden Court' was completed and opened to the public. The work is reflective of the kind of work Burton was best known for: making sculpture in the form of furniture such as benches, stools, tables, and chairs. 'Garden Court' continues to be popular with members of the public who make use of its granite benches, many of whom are totally unaware they are engaging with a piece of public art in exactly the way Burton intended.

The Fairmont Royal York Hotel
100 Front Street West
This heritage-designated hotel was the tallest building in the British Empire when it opened in 1929. Many celebrity guests have stayed at the Royal York over the years - perhaps most notably members of the British Royal Family. The late Queen Elizabeth II had her own special suite on the sixteenth floor, with furniture that was only brought out for her use. The hotel's Imperial Room event space has hosted performances by legendary musicians such as Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, and Sonny and Cher, among many others. The hotel is also frequently used as a filming location, with recent productions like 'The Handmaid's Tale', 'Orphan Black', and 'Nikita' filming scenes in the lobby. The Royal York also uniquely has an apiary on its roof, which produces hundreds of pounds of honey used in much of the food and drink served at the hotel.