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The Toronto skyline was much different when this photo was taken from the old Spadina Avenue bridge. The two pioneer
skyscrapers are the 1931 Bank of Commerce (still there as Commerce Court North) and the 1929 Royal York Hotel. The locomotive is one of CNR's 6400 series most
likely headed for Chicago via the crossing at Sarnia - Circa 1930 Anonymous Photographer.
2 November 2014
Royal York Still Toronto's Foremost Hotel
Toronto Ontario - A story broke just a few days ago that involves one of Toronto's best-known landmark buildings.
It was 1928 when the Royal York Hotel first began to appear on what, up until then, was a rather non-descript city skyline.
In fact, what few tall buildings there were back then were grouped at the Yonge and King intersection.
Three of those remain, The Dominion Bank (1913-14 and now One King West), the Royal Bank (1913-15), and Canadian Pacific (1911-13) buildings.
When the new hotel was officially opened by the Governor General of the day, Major Freeman Freeman-Thomas, The Viscount Willingdon, it was proclaimed as the
largest hotel in the British Commonwealth.
As for its name we can thank John Graves Simcoe for that.
It was the community's founder who, when he announced in 1793 that the "official" name of his small settlement which was heretofore known as Toronto
(or a variation thereof), would henceforth be referred to as "our Royal Town of York" (the term York selected by Simcoe to honour Frederick, the Duke
of York, the second eldest son of England's King George III).
Now celebrating its 86th year in business, the storied (27 storeys to be precise) Royal York Hotel (that was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway at a cost of
$16 million), is about to come under new ownership.
Today the iconic hotel is valued at nearly $200 million.
In addition, renovations totaling $150 million will help keep the Royal York Toronto's foremost hotel.
Simcoe would be pleased.
Mike Filey.
Editor's Note: Article abridged, non-railway data removed.
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