Toronto’s architectural gems—the Toronto Club at Wellington and York

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The impressive building at 107 Wellington Street, on the southeast corner of York and Wellington streets, remains a mystery to me. Other than the information posted on Wikipedia and an historic plaque, I have been unable to locate any other information. My usual sources do not mention the club, even though it apparently dates back to the early years of Toronto. The plaque states that the club was founded in 1837, the same year that William Lyon Mackenzie led the rebels down Yonge Street. However, it does not reveal who founded the club or where its first site was located. The building in the above picture is of the building that was constructed for the club in 1888.

It appears that the club was established as a private establishment for prominent CEO’s and professionals, where its members could to gather to read and discuss various topics. The building contains  a reading, dining and billiard room. It has marble fireplaces, rich wood panelling, and ornamented plaster ceilings. The plaque states that the structure was constructed in various architectural styles, with the second floor being Renaissance Revival, containing faux balconies in front of the windows. However, it is the enormous stones of the base of the building and the heavy fortress-like first floor that dominate the street. Similar to Toronto’s old City Hall, the first floor is Richardsonian Romanesque. It has large windows with Roman arches, the ornamented pilasters, and detailing typical of this architectural style. The ornamentation under the cornice is highly detailed, and the heavy doors are impressive.

The architects of the building were Frank Darling and S. George Curry. These partners also designed the Bank of Montreal at Front and Yonge Street (now the Hockey hall of Fame) and the old Sick Children’s Hospital at 67 College Street. 

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           The south facade of the Toronto Club, facing Wellington Street.

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            The doors of the club, and the face carved into them.

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Ornamentation above the doorway, showing the year the building was opened (1888).

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Window on the first floor, and the stone ornaments at the base of one of the pilasters.

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             The Wellington Street facade as viewed from the street.

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Two other buildings designed by the architects Darling and Curry. The left-hand photo is the old Bank of Montreal at Front and Yonge streets, now the Hockey Hall of Fame. The right-hand photo is the Sick Kids’ Hospital (Victoria Hospital) at 67 College Street, which is now occupied by the Canadian Blood Services.

To view the Home Page for this blog: https://tayloronhistory.com/

To view other posts about the history of Toronto and its buildings:

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Toronto’s first Reference Library at College and St. George Streets.

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St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church at King and Simcoe Streets.

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The row houses on Glasgow Street, near Spadina and College Streets

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The historical St. Mary’s Church at Adelaide and Bathurst Streets

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The Waverly Hotel on Spadina near College Street.

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The Bank of Nova Scotia at King and Bay Streets

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The Darling Building on Spadina Avenue

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Lord Lansdowne Public School on Spadina Crescent

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The Dragon City Mall on the southwest corner of Dundas and Spadina

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A former mansion at 235 Spadina that is now almost hidden from view.

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The Art Deco bus terminal at Bay and Dundas Streets.

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Photos of the surroundings of the CN Tower and and the St. Lawrence Market in 1977

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The old Dominion Bank Building at King and Yonge Street

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The Canada Life Building on University and Queen Street West.

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Campbell House at the corner of Queen Street West and University Avenue

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Toronto’s first City Hall, now a part of the St. Lawrence Market

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Toronto’s Draper Street, a time-tunnel into the 19th century

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The Black Bull Tavern at Queen and Soho Streets, established in 1822

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History of the 1867 fence around Osgoode Hall on Queen Street West at York Street

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Gathering around the radio as a child in the 1940s

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The opening of the University Theatre on Bloor Street, west of Bay St.

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122 persons perish in the Noronic Disaster on Toronto’s waterfront in 1949

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Historic Victoria Memorial Square where Toronto’s first cemetery was located, now hidden amid the Entertainment District

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Visiting one of Toronto’s best preserved 19th-century streets-Willcocks Avenue

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The 1930s Water Maintenance Building on Brant Street, north of St. Andrew’s Park

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Toronto’s architectural gems-photos of the Old City from a book published by the city in 1912

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Toronto’s architectural gems in 1912

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Toronto’s architectural gems – the bank on the northeast corner of Queen West and Spadina

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Photos of the surroundings of the CN Tower and and the St. Lawrence Market in 1977

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The St. Lawrence Hall on King Street

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Toronto’s streetcars through the past decades

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History of Trinity Bellwoods Park

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A history of Toronto’s famous ferry boats to the Toronto Islands

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