TweetWhile many assume that New York City’s Fuller Building set the tone for “flatiron” buildings in some of North America’s most significant cities, the Gooderham Building in Toronto (pictured above shortly after its completion in 1892, and below in 2012) was in fact the first of the series, designed by Architect David Roberts Jr. for the prominent Gooderham family of Gooderham & Worts distillery.
Throughout its 120-year history, the ‘Flatiron Building’ has changed hands just a few times; most recently in October 2011 when Woodcliffe Landmark Properties sold the historic building to The Commercial Realty Group for $15.29 million.
The classic red brick planted at 49 Wellington Street East – commonly referred to as the ‘Flatiron Building’ – defines its bustling downtown corner and borders Toronto’s financial district to the west and the vibrant area known as the St. Lawrence Market district to the east.
An emerging neighbourhood with fervent development close to shops, great restaurants, and plenty of live theatre venues, the St.Lawrence area was cited as one of the best new places to buy in Toronto Life Magazine earlier this year. The historic St. Lawrence Market itself even received international attention when it grabbed the number one spot on National Geographic’s list of best food markets in the world.
With an obvious transformation of the area over the last century, the ‘Flatiron Building’ stands proudly among the downtown buzz as an icon for the neighbourhood and a symbol of the city’s past.
*Key photo: Gooderham Building, taken by F.W. Micklethwaite, 1890′s.
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