The Bay Queen Street
Encyclopedia
The Bay Queen Street store is the flagship store of the The Bay
in Toronto
and head office of the Hudson's Bay Company
. Located at 160 Yonge Street on the southwest corner of Yonge Street
and Queen Street West
, the building is actually a complex of buildings built between 1896 to 1969.
The 1896 sandstone
building located on Queen Street slightly west of Yonge Street was built by Toronto firm of Burke and Horwood for the Simpson's department store; the building was Romanesque Revival
with Chicago School style influences.. The fireproof steel frame structure replaced the original 6-storey store that burned down in 1895 after opening for just three months.
The Simpson's structure is strikingly similar to the Confederation Life Building located just east of Yonge, but less ornamental. The store was built to replace the original Simpson's dry goods business at 184 Yonge Street and was located directly across from rival
retailer's Eaton's Annex
.
Inside the store featured an open atrium that looked down to the first floor. The basement of the store feature a restaurant and later connected to the Queen subway station
in 1954 and later connected to the PATH (Toronto)
network.
During the early 20th Century, the store had a Dominon supermarket (City Hall Market) located at the northeast corner. It closed in the 1960s
The store grew and reached capacity in 1900, so various locations in the downtown. Burke and Horwood returned with additions in 1907 and 1923. The largest expansion came in 1929 with Chapman and Oxley
's 9 floor Art Deco
addition (facing Bay and Richmond) capped off with the Arcadian Court
. At this stage the store occupied two full city blocks.
In 1969 John B. Parkin's Simpson Tower
was added to the complex at the corner of Queen Street
West and Bay Street
.
Unlike Eaton's the store survived the remaking of the neighbourhood and retained the original look. A glass bridge was added to allow customers to walk across to the Toronto Eaton Centre
.
The basement level was once a discount floor, but it is now converted to meet the upscale image of the entire store.
In 1991 the Simpson's name was replaced with the current The Bay
banner.
Originally a Simpson's tradition, The Bay Queen Street features a Christmas themed window decorations on the ground floor facing Queen Street West west of the main Queen Street entrance.
The complex connects to the nearby Bay Adelaide Centre and shared underground parking complex.
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
in Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
and head office of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. Located at 160 Yonge Street on the southwest corner of Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
and Queen Street West
Queen Street West
Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...
, the building is actually a complex of buildings built between 1896 to 1969.
The 1896 sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
building located on Queen Street slightly west of Yonge Street was built by Toronto firm of Burke and Horwood for the Simpson's department store; the building was Romanesque Revival
Romanesque Revival architecture
Romanesque Revival is a style of building employed beginning in the mid 19th century inspired by the 11th and 12th century Romanesque architecture...
with Chicago School style influences.. The fireproof steel frame structure replaced the original 6-storey store that burned down in 1895 after opening for just three months.
The Simpson's structure is strikingly similar to the Confederation Life Building located just east of Yonge, but less ornamental. The store was built to replace the original Simpson's dry goods business at 184 Yonge Street and was located directly across from rival
Eaton's
The T. Eaton Co. Limited was once Canada's largest department store retailer. It was founded in 1869 in Toronto by Timothy Eaton, an Irish immigrant. Eaton's grew to become a retail and social institution in Canada, with stores across the country, buying offices across the globe, and a catalogue...
retailer's Eaton's Annex
Eaton's Annex
Located on Albert Street, directly behind the Eaton's Main Store and Toronto's City Hall, the Eaton's Annex was a 10-storey building containing both retail and office space...
.
Queen (TTC)
Queen is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 171 Yonge Street at Queen Street West/East.-Entrances:The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets...
in 1954 and later connected to the PATH (Toronto)
PATH (Toronto)
PATH is a network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. According to Guinness World Records, PATH is the largest underground shopping complex in the world with 371,600 m² PATH is a network of pedestrian tunnels beneath the office towers of Downtown...
network.
During the early 20th Century, the store had a Dominon supermarket (City Hall Market) located at the northeast corner. It closed in the 1960s
The store grew and reached capacity in 1900, so various locations in the downtown. Burke and Horwood returned with additions in 1907 and 1923. The largest expansion came in 1929 with Chapman and Oxley
Chapman and Oxley
Chapman and Oxley was a Toronto, Ontario, Canada - based architectural firm and responsible for designing a number of Beaux Arts buildings in the city in the 1920s and 1930s...
's 9 floor Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
addition (facing Bay and Richmond) capped off with the Arcadian Court
Arcadian Court
The Arcadian Court is an Art Deco restaurant and banquet hall on the eighth floor of the flagship downtown Toronto location of the Canadian department store The Bay, whose wrought iron railings, arched windows and huge chandeliers made it one of Toronto's most exclusive dining spots for many years...
. At this stage the store occupied two full city blocks.
In 1969 John B. Parkin's Simpson Tower
Simpson Tower
The Simpson Tower is the 26th-tallest building in Toronto. Completed in 1968 by architect John B. Parkin, as the headquarters of the Simpsons department store company, it has 33 floors and is 144 metres high. In 1978, as part of a corporate takeover, the Simpson Tower became the property of the...
was added to the complex at the corner of Queen Street
Queen Street
Queen Street is a popular street name in English-speaking countries . Examples include:-Asia:* Queen Street, Hong Kong in Sheung Wan, Hong Kong* Queen Street, Singapore in Singapore...
West and Bay Street
Bay Street
Bay Street, originally known as Bear Street, is a major thoroughfare in Downtown Toronto. It is the centre of Toronto's Financial District and is often used by metonymy to refer to Canada's financial industry since succeeding Montreal's St. James Street in that role in the 1970s...
.
Unlike Eaton's the store survived the remaking of the neighbourhood and retained the original look. A glass bridge was added to allow customers to walk across to the Toronto Eaton Centre
Toronto Eaton Centre
The Toronto Eaton Centre is a large shopping mall and office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named after the now-defunct Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it. In terms of the number of visitors, the shopping mall is Toronto's top tourist attraction, with around one...
.
The basement level was once a discount floor, but it is now converted to meet the upscale image of the entire store.
In 1991 the Simpson's name was replaced with the current The Bay
The Bay
The Bay is a chain of 91 department stores that operate across parts of Canada. It is the main brand of Hudson's Bay Company , North America's oldest company. It has its headquarters in the Simpson Tower in Toronto. In French, the chain is known as la Baie, short for "Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson"...
banner.
Originally a Simpson's tradition, The Bay Queen Street features a Christmas themed window decorations on the ground floor facing Queen Street West west of the main Queen Street entrance.
The complex connects to the nearby Bay Adelaide Centre and shared underground parking complex.
See also
- Toronto Eaton CentreToronto Eaton CentreThe Toronto Eaton Centre is a large shopping mall and office complex in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, named after the now-defunct Eaton's department store chain that once anchored it. In terms of the number of visitors, the shopping mall is Toronto's top tourist attraction, with around one...
- Old City Hall (Toronto)Old City Hall (Toronto)Toronto's Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of the city's most prominent structures. The building is located at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets, across Bay Street from Nathan Phillips Square and the new City Hall in the centre of downtown Toronto...
- Eaton's AnnexEaton's AnnexLocated on Albert Street, directly behind the Eaton's Main Store and Toronto's City Hall, the Eaton's Annex was a 10-storey building containing both retail and office space...
- Merchandise BuildingMerchandise BuildingThe Merchandise Building is a classic example of the renowned early 20th-century industrial Chicago School architectural style. It is a loft conversion of a historic warehouse located in downtown Toronto on Dalhousie Street, near the campus of Ryerson University and the Toronto Eaton Centre...
- originally Simpson's Mail Order Building built due to over capacity at the Queen Street store- includes the Warehouse at 135 Dalhousie Street
- Cloud GardensCloud GardensCloud Gardens or "Bay Adelaide Gardens and the Cloud Forest Conservatory" is a small park in downtown Toronto. It is on Richmond Street just east of Bay Street on half an acre of land.-Origin:...
and Bay Adelaide Centre