- Commerce Court
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For the short-lived court of law, see United States Commerce Court.
Commerce Court 
Commerce Court WestAlternative names CIBC Buildings
Commerce Court-North, -South, -East, -WestGeneral information Type Commercial offices Location Toronto, Ontario Coordinates 43°38′53″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6481°N 79.3788°WCoordinates: 43°38′53″N 79°22′44″W / 43.6481°N 79.3788°W Completed North tower: 1931
Complex: 1972Height 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: 5Elevator count West tower: 31
North tower: 10
East tower: 8Design and construction Owner British Columbia Investment Management Corporation Management GWL Realty Advisors Incorporated Architect York & Sawyer
Page + Steele Architects
I.M. Pei & PartnersDeveloper 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.
Contents
1931 North Tower
Commerce Court North
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).
Later buildings
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.
Anchor tenants
- Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC)
- Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP
- Barrick Gold
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Deutsche Bank
- Guardian Capital Group
- Stikeman Elliott LLP
Notable Tenants
- Canadian Bankers Association
- Consulate General of Mexico
- Ricoh
- CIBC Wood Gundy
Commerce Court plaza
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]
See also
- List of tallest buildings in Toronto
- Tour CIBC
- Old Canadian Bank of Commerce Building, Montreal
- Commerce Place I and Commerce Place II in Hamilton, Ontario
References
- ^ http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/obj/irc/doc/pubs/nrcc23757/nrcc23757.pdf
- ^ Commerce Court at Emporis
- ^ Commerce Court North at SkyscraperPage
- ^ Commerce Court West at SkyscraperPage
- ^ Commerce Court East at SkyscraperPage
- ^ Commerce Court North at Structurae
- ^ Commerce Court West at Structurae
- ^ Staff writers (10 January 2008). "Falling Sign Fix Lets Bay St. Re-open As Rest Of GTA Continues Wind-Blown Clean-Up". CityNews. http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/news/local/article/19680--falling-sign-fix-lets-bay-st-re-open-as-rest-of-gta-continues-wind-blown-clean-up. Retrieved 11 November 2010.
- ^ "Toronto streets reopen after cleanup of fallen debris". CBC News. 10 January 2008. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2008/01/10/toronto-streets.html. Retrieved 10 November 2010.
- ^ "Tembo, Mother of Elephants - Toronto, Ontario". Waymarking.com. 23 August 2011. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMCD07. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
External links
Timeline of the tallest buildings in Canada - Toronto Board of Trade Building (1892)
- Beard Building (30 m) (1894)
- Temple Building (40 m) (1896)
- Trader's Bank Building (60 m) (1906)
- Dominion Building (53 m) (1910)
- Sun Tower (82 m) (1912)
- Canadian Pacific Building (c.85 m) (1913)
- Royal Bank Building (90 m) (1915)
- Tour de la Banque Royale (119 m) (1928)
- Fairmont Royal York (124 m) (1929)
- Commerce Court North (145 m) (1931)
- Tour CIBC (187 m) (1962)
- Place Ville-Marie (188 m) (1962)
- Tour de la Bourse (190 m) (1964)
- Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower (223 m) (1967)
- Commerce Court West (239 m) (1972)
- First Canadian Place (298 m) (1975)
- Toronto Board of Trade Building (1892)
- Beard Building (30 m) (1894)
- Temple Building (40 m) (1896)
- Trader's Bank Building (60 m) (1906)
- Canadian Pacific Building (c.85 m) (1913)
- Royal Bank Building (90 m) (1915)
- Sterling Tower (c.100 m) (1928)
- Fairmont Royal York (124 m) (1929)
- Commerce Court North (145 m) (1931)
- Toronto-Dominion Bank Tower (223 m) (1967)
- Commerce Court West (239 m) (1972)
- First Canadian Place (298 m) (1975)
Categories:- Buildings and structures completed in 1931
- Buildings and structures completed in 1972
- Bank buildings in Canada
- Buildings and structures in Toronto
- I. M. Pei buildings
- Modernist architecture in Canada
- PATH (Toronto)
- Pearson and Darling buildings
- Skyscrapers between 50 and 99 meters
- Skyscrapers between 100 and 149 meters
- Skyscrapers between 250 and 299 meters
- Skyscrapers in Toronto
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