The Park Hyatt Toronto is a historic

hotel A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. Facilities provided inside a hotel room may range from a modest-quality mattress in a small room to large suites with bigger, higher-quality beds, a dresser, a ref ...

that opened in 1936 as the Park Plaza Hotel. It is located in the

Annex Annex or Annexe refers to a building joined to or associated with a main building, providing additional space or accommodations. It may also refer to: Places * The Annex, a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada * The Annex (New H ...

area of

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada.

History

The site

The hotel is located at the northwestern corner of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...

and

Avenue Road Avenue Road is a major north–south street in Toronto, Ontario. The road is a continuation of University Avenue, linked to it via Queen's Park and Queen's Park Crescent East and West to form a single through route.''Toronto Pocket Street Atla ...

. The first known building on the site was a small wayside inn built in 1820 and named Tecumseh Wigwam. Then a considerable distance from the city, it served travellers on their way north out of town. The inn was demolished around 1875.

Park Plaza Hotel

Originally named the Queen's Park Plaza Hotel, the structure was designed by Hugh Gordon Holman. Construction began in 1928 and was due to be completed in 1929. However, the stock market crash and the beginning of the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

caused its builder to go out of business. The steel framed structure was left partially completed for several years, as various attempts to restart it failed. The hotel was finally completed as The Park Plaza Hotel and opened on July 11, 1936. The Park Plaza was expanded in 1956 with a second annex tower directly to the north, a modernist structure designed by

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 ...

. Located across the street from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

the hotel became known as a centre for Canadian literature, attracting authors, especially to the rooftop patio. As a result, the hotel has appeared in works by a number of Canadian writers including

Margaret Atwood Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...

Morley Callaghan Edward Morley Callaghan (February 22, 1903 – August 25, 1990) was a Canadian novelist, short story writer, playwright, and TV and radio personality. Biography Of Canadian/English-immigrant parentage,Clara Thomas, ''Canadian Novelists 192 ...

Mordecai Richler Mordecai Richler (January 27, 1931 – July 3, 2001) was a Canadian writer. His best known works are ''The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz (novel), The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz'' (1959) and ''Barney's Version (novel), Barney's Versi ...

, and

Hugh Garner Hugh Garner (February 22, 1913 – June 30, 1979) was a British-born Canadian novelist. Biography Early life Hugh Garner was born on February 22, 1913, in Batley, Yorkshire, England. He came to Canada in 1919 with his parents, and was raised in ...

. Near Queen's Park, it was also a popular site for many provincial government officials, with the Premier Bill Davis government's "

Big Blue Machine The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (french: Parti progressiste-conservateur de l'Ontario), often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a Centre-right politics, centre-right political p ...

" holding frequent meetings there. In 1995, the hotel went into receivership, but was purchased by new owners who began a complete overhaul, adding such features as an almost penthouse, to woo back the wealthiest guests.

Park Hyatt Toronto

In 1999

Hyatt Hyatt Hotels Corporation, commonly known as Hyatt Hotels & Resorts, is an American multinational hospitality company headquartered in the Riverside Plaza area of Chicago that manages and franchises luxury and business hotels, resorts, and vacat ...

purchased the hotel for $107 million, calculated to be the highest cost per room ever paid in Canada, and renamed it Park Hyatt Toronto. In 2014, Hyatt sold the hotel to Toronto-based

Oxford Properties Oxford Properties is a Canadian multinational corporation, with operations in real estate investment, development and property management. Its portfolio includes office, retail, industrial, multi-residential, life sciences and hotel assets. Esta ...

, for $90 million USD, with an encumbrance that the hotel remain operated as a Hyatt for at least 40 years. Oxford closed the hotel on December 1, 2017, for an extensive renovation. The 1936 south tower was converted to 65 luxury rental units, marketed as Two Avenue Road, but still operated as part of the hotel complex. The 1956 north tower was completely renovated, to continue operating as a 219-room hotel. The two-story podium and vehicle forecourt that connected the towers was demolished and replaced by a new larger podium that makes up a streetwall. The hotel reopened on September 15, 2021.

References

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External links