| Commerce Court | |
|---|---|
Commerce Court West |
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| Alternative names | CIBC Buildings Commerce Court-North, -South, -East, -West |
| General information | |
| Type | Commercial offices |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Coordinates | |
| Completed | North tower: 1931 Complex: 1972 |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 48 foot mast antenna on Commerce Court West |
| Roof | West tower: 239 m (784 ft) North tower: 145 m (476 ft) |
| Top floor | 57 (West Tower) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | West tower: 57 North tower: 34 East tower: 14 South tower: 5 |
| Elevator count | West tower: 31 North tower: 10 East tower: 8 |
| Design and construction | |
| Owner | British Columbia Investment Management Corporation |
| Management | GWL Realty Advisors Incorporated |
| Architect | York & Sawyer Page + Steele Architects I.M. Pei & Partners |
| Developer | CIBC |
| Structural engineer | Carruthers and Wallace Limited[1] |
| References | |
| [2][3][4][5][6][7] | |
Commerce Court is a complex of four office buildings on King- and Bay-streets in the financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, The main tenant is the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC). The buildings are a mix of Art Deco, International, and early Modernism architectural styles.
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The first building, now known as Commerce Court North, was built in 1930 as the headquarters of the Canadian Bank of Commerce, a precursor bank to the current main tenant. Designed by the Canadian firm Pearson and Darling with the American bank specialists York and Sawyer as consulting architects, the 34-storey limestone clad tower was the tallest building in the British Empire/Commonwealth for roughly three decades, until 1962. At the time of its construction, the building was one of the most opulent corporate headquarters in Canada, and featured a public observation deck (since closed to the public due to safety and liability concerns).
In 1972, three other buildings were erected, thus creating the Commerce Court complex: glass and stainless steel glass curtain wall international Style Commerce Court West designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners (the tallest building in the complex, at 57 storeys, and the tallest building in Canada from 1972–1976), Originally, Commerce Court West 57 was an observation floor. Commerce Court East (1972: 13 storeys) and Commerce Court South (5 storeys) are glass and applied masonry structures by Zeidler Partnership Architects in 1972. In 1994, Zeidler Partnership Architects was commissioned to renovate the Commerce Court urban plaza, the banking area at the base of Commerce Court West, and the below-grade retail area. There are 65 retails shops in the plaza below the complex.
The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce sold the complex in April, 2000, now managed by GWL Realty Advisors, but the head office of the bank remains the anchor tenant.
On Wednesday, January 9, 2008, a portion of a CIBC sign at the top of the Commerce Court West building blew off as a result of wind gusts. Police cordoned off the area as a precaution. As a result, Bay St. from Front to Richmond and King St. from York to Yonge were shut down. Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) service was diverted.[8][9] This took place eight months after a piece of white marble panel fell from the 60th storey of the First Canadian Place building, and ten months after layers of ice fell off the CN Tower.
Surrounding the Commerce Court complex of buildings is a plaza featuring a fountain in its centre, and a three piece bronze sculpture by Derrick Stephan Hudson entitled, Tembo, Mother of Elephants completed in 2002. The sculptures were installed on site in 2005 on loan from the L.L. Odette Foundation of Windsor, Ontario.[10]
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