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23-618: The site initially housed Toronto's first Wesleyan Methodist Church, a small wooden chapel surrounded by woods (which later became the Metropolitan United Church ) from 1818 to 1831, then as Theatre Royal from 1833 onwards. From 1887 to 1927 it was home to a seven-storey head office of the Canadian Bank of Commerce , which was then demolished to make way for a new corporate headquarters, the building now called Commerce Court North. The new 34-storey limestone building

46-667: A fire in 1928, but it was rebuilt in 1929 (keeping the same design) with the help of the Methodist Massey family , of Massey Ferguson fame. In 1930, Casavant Frères installed the largest pipe organ in Canada in the newly refurbished building. The church is also known for its 54-bell carillon that is regularly heard throughout the neighbourhood. Today, the church is known for its progressiveness. It has long played an important role in Toronto's Gay and Lesbian community that

69-471: 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. This took place eight months after a piece of white marble panel fell from the 60th storey of

92-520: Is a commercial complex made up of four structures, and a central courtyard. The complex is bounded by several major roadways, including Bay Street to the west, King Street West to the north, Yonge Street along its southeastern periphery, and Wellington Street West to the south. The structures are connected to the PATH network , a series of underground pedestrian tunnels that connect downtown Toronto . The first building, now known as Commerce Court North,

115-482: Is a historic Neo-Gothic style church in downtown Toronto , Ontario , Canada. It is one of the largest and most prominent churches of the United Church of Canada . It is located at 56 Queen Street East, between Bond and Church streets, in Toronto's Garden District . The congregation, originally singularly Methodist , was founded in 1818. It was initially housed in a small chapel on King Street West (now

138-760: Is a national architecture , interior design , urban design , and master planning firm with four Canadian offices located in Toronto , Calgary , Vancouver , and Victoria . Architect Eberhard Zeidler joined W. & W.R.L. Blackwell and Craig, a firm led by Blackwell Jr. and partner Craig, in 1951. The firm, originally founded by William Blackwell in 1880 in Peterborough , was renamed Blackwell, Craig and Zeidler Architects in 1954. The practice relocated to Toronto in 1961. Senior partner emeritus , Eberhard Zeidler, stepped down from Zeidler Partnership Architects in 2009. Rebranded in 2017, Zeidler Architecture Inc.

161-483: Is centered just to the north at Church and Wellesley . The church also offers a wide array of services for the poor and homeless. Designed by Henry Langley , who was to draw "the ubiquitous cloak of decorous gothicism over the face of Ontario in the 1870s", the church became known as the "cathedral of Methodism...a monument to ... energy, magnetism and culture....No church in Toronto has such great advantages of position....The handsome grounds of this church form one of

184-595: The First Canadian Place building, and ten months after layers of ice fell from the CN Tower . The CIBC sold the complex in April 2000, now managed by QuadReal Property Group , but the head office of the bank remains the anchor tenant. CIBC relocated its headquarters from Commerce Court to CIBC Square on 1 November 2021. However, the bank intends to maintain a presence at Commerce Court. Commerce Court

207-563: The L.L. Odette Foundation of Windsor, Ontario . In popular culture, the plaza was used as a stand-in for Wall Street in a pair of Kids in the Hall sketches featuring Mr. Tyzik, the Headcrusher. The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is a major tenant for the complex, with the bank having formerly housed its headquarters there. However, CIBC announced plans to relocate its headquarters from Commerce Court to CIBC Square in 2021. However,

230-611: The bank still maintains offices at the office complex. Other anchor tenants situated in Commerce Court includes B2B Bank , Blake, Cassels & Graydon LLP, Deutsche Bank , Guardian Capital Group , and Stikeman Elliott LLP. Other notable tenants of the building include the Canadian Bankers Association , Ricoh , and CIBC Wood Gundy , the latter tenant also being a subsidiary of CIBC. Metropolitan United Church Metropolitan United Church

253-402: The base which taper as they go up. At the top of the tower is a bell chamber open to the outside through which the carillon music can be heard. The church also had Canada’s largest pipe organ ( Casavant Frères Opus 1367 ) installed in 1930 following the fire which destroyed the previous organ. This instrument plays an important part in leading the church choir and ceremony every week. When it

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276-672: The building in customary evangelical Protestant terms, regarding the nave rather than the chancel area as its "sanctuary". A very important part of the church is the carillon . A traditional carillon is a set of 23 or more bells which are played from a mechanical keyboard. The collection of bells at the Metropolitan United Church has been growing since April 2, 1922, when Chester D. Massey dedicated 23 bells in memory of his wife. These original 23 bells, cast by Gillett & Johnston in Croydon , England, are inscribed with

299-587: The finest spaces in this city....The entire building is of white brick, with abundant cut stone dressing. It is a modernized form of the French thirteenth century Gothic, with nave, transepts and choir. The church's ecclesiastical neighbours are St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica and the Cathedral Church of St. James , and the trio of similarly designed churches are a striking Christian witness adjacent to Canada's financial hub. The church's website describes

322-539: The message "May the spirit of the Lord reach the heart of every one where the sound of these bells is heard." In 1960, Charles W. Drury and his wife donated twelve smaller bells, and by 1971, the collection was brought to a total of 54 bells. When the church was first built in 1872, it was designed to accommodate a future carillon. The tower was designed to support the addition of bells and their immense weight (over forty four thousand pounds), by having seven-foot thick walls at

345-444: The roofline (32 stories up), are 4 bearded figures along each side of the building. Each head is 24 feet high, representing Courage, Observation, Foresight and Enterprise. 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 with Page and Steele . Commerce Court West

368-524: The site of Commerce Court North). In 1833, a larger structure was completed on Adelaide Street. It moved to its present location in 1872 when the building was dedicated as the Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church. On 24 August 1870, Reverend Egerton Ryerson , who had been the pastor of the earlier Methodist church on Adelaide Street, laid the cornerstone for Metropolitan Wesleyan Methodist Church in Toronto.  He

391-485: 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 for safety and liability concerns). The building is protected under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act since 1991. The Art Deco-style building is made of limestone and features a one-ton chandelier with over 70 lights in the lobby. Along

414-483: 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 retail shops in the plaza below the complex. 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

437-640: Was first installed, there was a weekly recital which was widely known in the neighbourhood, and which received a great deal of recognition in the local papers. These two instruments, the organ and carillon, are an important part of the church’s image and are enjoyed wherever they are heard and especially by the patients of the St. Michael's Hospital. Current Staff Wayne C. Vance Organ Scholar 43°39′14″N 79°22′36″W  /  43.653974°N 79.376666°W  / 43.653974; -79.376666 Zeidler Partnership Architects Zeidler Architecture Inc.

460-671: Was later a member and a trustee of the Metropolitan congregation for many years and his funeral was held there at the church as well. In 1925, the Methodist Church of Canada merged with the Presbyterians and Congregationalists to form the United Church of Canada. Metropolitan then acquired its current name. The first General Council of the United Church was held there in 1925. The church was mostly destroyed by

483-462: Was opened in 1931 as the headquarters of the Canadian Bank of Commerce , a precursor bank to the current main tenant. The Canadian Bank of Commerce head office (now Commerce Court North) was designed by the American bank specialists York and Sawyer with the notable Canadian firm Darling and Pearson as the local architects of record. Structural engineering was provided by Harkness and Hertzberg. At

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506-466: Was the tallest building among the three later additions, at 57 storeys and 287 metres (942 ft) it was the tallest building in Canada from 1972 to 1976. Originally, Commerce Court West's 57th floor was an observation floor. Commerce Court East (1972: 13 storeys) and Commerce Court South (5 storeys) are glass and applied masonry structures also designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners with Page and Steele in 1972. In 1994, Zeidler Partnership Architects

529-627: Was the tallest in the British Empire / Commonwealth for roughly three decades, until 1962. In 1961 the bank merged with the Imperial Bank to form the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) and construction soon began to establish Commerce Court as its headquarters complex of buildings. The tallest, and the tallest in Toronto at the time, was Commerce Court West, completed in 1972. On Wednesday, January 9, 2008,

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