Lord Simcoe Hotel was one of many now vanished hotels in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. Built in 1956, the 20-storey concrete and glass modernist structure was designed by Henry T. Langston and

Peter Dickinson Peter Malcolm de Brissac Dickinson OBE FRSL (16 December 1927 – 16 December 2015) was an English author and poet, best known for children's books and detective stories. Dickinson won the annual Carnegie Medal from the Library Association ...

. The hotel was named for

John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...

Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...

and a resident of

York, Upper Canada York was a town and the second capital of the colony of Upper Canada. It is the predecessor to the Old Toronto, old city of Toronto (1834–1998). It was established in 1793 by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe as a "temporary" location fo ...

(now Toronto). The name was somewhat incorrect as Simcoe was never called or given the title of

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

. Located on the northeast corner of King Street and University Avenue (150 King Street West), it was closed in 1979 and torn down in 1981. It was replaced by the Sun Life Centre East Tower in 1984. The hotel was unable to compete with other downtown hotels due to a lack of central air conditioning and convention space. It consistently lost money over its 24-year existence.

References

*"Lord Simcoe workers say goodbye to hotel that fell behind the times." ''The Globe and Mail.'' Oct 29, 1979. pg. P.5 *"Lord Simcoe Hotel to be closed, torn down land to bring record $317 per square foot." Jack Willoughby. ''The Globe and Mail.'' Aug 4, 1979. pg. B.14

External links

Image of the hotel
Hotel buildings completed in 1956 Demolished buildings and structures in Toronto Hotels in Toronto Defunct hotels in Canada Modernist architecture in Canada Peter Dickinson (architect) buildings Buildings and structures demolished in 1981 Demolished hotels Former skyscraper hotels {{Toronto-stub