Liberty Grand Building
| Ontario Government Building Liberty Grand Building | |
|---|---|
|
Southwest view of Ontario Government Building, 1926 | |
| General information | |
| Type |
Exhibition building Special event space |
| Location | Exhibition Place |
| Address | 25 British Columbia Road |
| Coordinates | 43°38′02″N 79°24′38″W / 43.63381°N 79.41057°W |
| Opening | 1926 |
| Renovated | 2001 |
| Owner | Canadian National Exhibition |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Steel Truss |
| Floor count | 1 |
| Floor area | 100,000 square feet (9,300 m2) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architecture firm | Chapman and Oxley |
| Main contractor | Sullivan and Fried Limited of Toronto |
The Ontario Government Building, housing the "Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex", is a heritage building located in Exhibition Place in Toronto, Canada. Built in 1926 to provide exhibit space for the Government of Ontario during the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE), it was eventually replaced by the Ontario Place complex. After a period of disuse, the CNE signed a long-term lease with the Liberty Grand Entertainment Group to use the building for private events.
Description
The one-storey building is built on a triangular space of land, fronting on the south-west on Lake Shore Boulevard, British Columbia Road on the north and Alberta Circle on the east. The building has a central open triangular courtyard with the three wings surrounding it. Along the property facing the Lakeshore Boulevard is a large concrete plaza leading down to Boulevard, originally to the Lake. Beside the steps leading down are two carved stone lions. Each lion's pedestal bears a historical plaque.
The reinforced concrete Beaux-Arts building was designed by the architectural firm of Chapman and Oxley which designed several other public buildings in the area. The building was built between November 1925 to August 1926 by contractors Sullivan and Fried Limited of Toronto. It was originally called the New Ontario Government Buildings.[1] The exterior was very ornate, but the interior, used for exhibit space was not decorated, like a warehouse.[2]
History
The building was built to display Government of Ontario exhibits during the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). In 1971, the Government of Ontario opened the new Ontario Place park on new artificial islands on Lake Ontario just south of the site and discontinued the use of the building. It became the site of general exhibits during the CNE.
In 2000, the City of Toronto released a "Request for Proposals" for long-term development of the building. Of five proposals the CNE chose the Liberty Grand Proposal for a 20-year lease of the building.[3] The Liberty Grand group agreed to spend CA$4.95 million on renovations and pay $3.76 million in rent for the 20 years[3] to use the building as a private ballroom venue.[4] The company refinished the interior with decorations and furnishings to match the exterior. The building re-opened in 2001.[2] The building now houses four ballrooms and can accommodate 3,000 guests.[5]
Gallery
-
Aerial view of building in 1929
-
View of stone lions on grounds of Ontario Government Building.
References
- ↑ Passengers Must Not Ride the Fenders, Mike Filey, p66
- 1 2 "Historicist: Beaux Arts Eclecticism". Torontoist. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- 1 2 "Proposals for the Ontario Government Building and Horticulture Building located at Exhibition Place" (PDF) (pdf). City of Toronto. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
- ↑ "Liberty Grand". CNE.
- ↑ "Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex" (PDF) (pdf). Liberty Grand Entertainment Group. Retrieved August 30, 2015.
External links
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