The History Of The Gooderham Building In 1 Minute
Commonly referred to as ‘Toronto’s Flat Iron’, the Gooderham Building is an iconic and historic structure situated at the intersection of Wellington and Front Street in the heart of downtown Toronto. Associated with the famous Gooderham family and their distillery, this building’s history, like the family, dates back to the 19th century.
The Gooderham family was a prosperous one, investing in other interests outside of the distillery such as banking, woolen mills, retail, the Toronto and Nipissing Railway and lake transportation, and the Gooderham was no different. With great success in all of their endeavors, especially the distillery, William Gooderham (co-founder of the distillery) needed a place to house the headquarters of their empire, and so construction of the Gooderham Building began.
Designed by Toronto architect David Roberts Jr., the building, a triangular-shaped structure, was designed to follow the layout of the streets, which formed a point with the merging of Wellington and Front Street. While Wellington Street follows the Town of York grid, Front Street’s diagonal line is attributed to the 19th-century waterfront. The building, an example of Romanesque Revival and French Gothic architecture, finally finished construction in 1892, taking the place of the Coffin Block Building, which sat on the same site before construction began on the Gooderham in 1891.
Set on a high foundation, the Gooderham is four-and-a-half stories tall, with a copper roof and arched windows. In 1975, the building was designated as a historic site and has continued to be restored and preserved since. In 1980, the famous mural was painted on the backside of the building using a trompe l’oeil effect – an illusion that the painting’s edges are ‘fluttering’ away. Created by Canadian artist Derek Besant, The Flatiron Mural is the artist’s representation of the Perkins Building across the street.
📅 The Gooderham Building: 24 hours daily
By Culture Trip Toronto
Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.
Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.
Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.
Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.
We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.
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