The Royal Bank Building refers to two office buildings built for the
Royal Bank of Canada
Royal Bank of Canada (RBC; french: Banque royale du Canada) is a Canadian multinational financial services company and the largest bank in Canada by market capitalization. The bank serves over 17 million clients and has more than 89,000& ...
in the
Financial District 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
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
:
The 20-storey Royal Bank Building, located on the northeast corner of
Yonge and
King
King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king.
*In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...
Streets, was completed in 1915 and designed by the architectural firm
Ross and Macdonald
Ross and Macdonald was one of Canada's most notable architecture firms in the early 20th century. Based in Montreal, Quebec, the firm originally operated as a partnership between George Allen Ross and David MacFarlane (known as Ross and MacFar ...
. The City of Toronto designated the building under the ''
Ontario Heritage Act
The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...
'' in 1976. The building is also known by its municipal address, 2 King Street East. At 90 metres in height, the building was the tallest in Canada until 1928.
The 12-storey Royal Bank Building, located at 20 King Street West between Yonge and
Bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
Streets, served as the bank's Toronto offices until the
Royal Bank Plaza
Royal Bank Plaza is a skyscraper in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that serves as the "corporate headquarters" for the Royal Bank of Canada. The building shares with the Fairmont Royal York Hotel the block in Toronto's financial district bordered by ...
was completed in 1977. The building was designed by architects Marani, Morris, & Allen.
It is still one of several buildings in Toronto's downtown core occupied by the Royal Bank. Construction on the building commenced with the laying of the cornerstone by then Royal Bank of Canada Chairman
James Allan in 1964.
References
TO Built - 2 King Street EastTO Built - Royal Bank Building*
Buildings and structures in Toronto
Royal Bank of Canada
Historic bank buildings in Canada
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