The Manulife Centre is located on the southeast corner of
Bay and
Bloor streets, along the
Mink Mile and adjacent to the southern edge of the
Yorkville district of
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. It consists of a 51-storey 800-suite luxury residential tower at 44 Charles Street and a shorter tower at 55 Bloor Street West, connected by a retail complex on the main floor and basement.
History
Designed by the Toronto architectural firm of
Clifford and Lawrie Architects, construction began in 1970 and was completed in 1974.
It was developed and built for
Manulife Financial, the current owners. Early retail tenants at the Manulife Centre included
Bretton's Bretton's was a high-end department store in Canada from 1985 to 1996.
The first two Bretton's stores were opened in Ottawa in 1985 by the parent company, Comark Incorporated. Comark (founded 1976), owned by the Brenninkmeijer family of the Nethe ...
department store (60,000 square feet), Creed's (38,000 square feet), Harridge's, and other luxury tenants. Over time, these three large retailers went bankrupt and closed.
Today
The retail portion of Manulife Centre includes
Birks and
Indigo Books. Bay Bloor Radio, which was founded in 1946, moved into the Manulife Centre when it opened and remains there today. A tunnel connects the basement level of the shopping concourse to
Holt Renfrew
Holt, Renfrew & Co., Limited (Trade name, doing business as Holt Renfrew and Colloquialism, colloquially Holt's) is a Economy of Canada, Canadian luxury department store chain founded in 1837 by William S. Henderson. The original William Ashton ...
at 50 Bloor Street West on the north side of Bloor.
Manulife Centre is home to Canada's first flagship
Eataly location as well as Over the Rainbow, a fashion retailer, and
Shoppers Drug Mart.
The tower is served by
Bay station on
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth is a rapid transit line in the Toronto subway system, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). It has 31 Metro station, stations and is in length. It opened on February 26, 1966, and extensions at both ends we ...
. Tunnels from the Manulife Centre provide access to Toronto's busiest subway station
Bloor–Yonge.
Manulife Centre Interior 2022.jpg, Manulife Centre Interior
Manulife Centre.jpg, Residential tower
Indigo-Bay and Bloor 2022.jpg, Indigo Books
Eataly Toronto at Manulife Centre 2022.jpg, Eataly Toronto in Level 2
See also
*
AP Antonio Park which is on the top of the Manulife Centre.
*
List of tallest buildings in Toronto
Many of the tallest buildings in Toronto are also the tallest in all of Canada. The tallest structure in Toronto is the CN Tower, which rises . The CN Tower was the List of tallest buildings and structures, tallest free-standing structure on land ...
*
List of tallest buildings in Canada
References
{{Reflist
External links
Manulife Centre - Shopping
44 Charles - Residential
Skyscraper office buildings in Toronto
Shopping malls in Toronto
Brutalist architecture in Canada
Residential skyscrapers in Toronto
Residential buildings completed in 1974
1974 establishments in Ontario