William H. Wright Building
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The William H. Wright Building was a six-storey office building located at 140 King Street West in
Toronto, Ontario 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 ...
, at the corner of King and York streets. Designed by the firm Mathers and Haldenby and built between 1937 and 1938, it was one of Toronto's best examples of
streamline moderne Streamline Moderne is an international style of Art Deco architecture and design that emerged in the 1930s. Inspired by aerodynamic design, it emphasized curving forms, long horizontal lines, and sometimes nautical elements. In industrial design ...
architecture. The building was home to ''
The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...
'' newspaper and was named after the founder of that paper,
William Henry Wright William Henry "Bill" Wright (21 April 1876 – 20 September 1951) was a Canadian prospector. In 1911, he discovered the Kirkland Lake Break, which hosted seven gold-producing mines. He used the proceeds from his gold finds to launch a national n ...
(1876-1951). In 1974 it was demolished to make way for the new
Exchange Tower Exchange Tower is a 36 storey tower in the First Canadian Place complex of Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed in 1981. The International style building is named for the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is the building's highest profile tenant. The ...
.


History

The main door of the original building was retained and installed at the Globe and Mail's subsequent home on Front Street. Additional sculptural elements from the structure may be found at
Guild Park and Gardens Guild Park and Gardens is a public park in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The park was formerly the site of an artist colony and is notable for its collection of relics saved from the demolition of buildings primarily in do ...
in Scarborough. The street address once occupied by the 1937 Globe and Mail Building is part of the First Canadian Place complex and is now occupied by the
Exchange Tower Exchange Tower is a 36 storey tower in the First Canadian Place complex of Toronto, Ontario, Canada completed in 1981. The International style building is named for the Toronto Stock Exchange, which is the building's highest profile tenant. The ...
. The plans for the William H. Wright Building are held at the
Archives of Ontario The Archives of Ontario are the archives for the province of Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1903 as the Bureau of Archives, the archives are now under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public and Business Service Delivery. The main offices of ...
as part of the "Mathers and Haldenby Fonds."


References

*Morawetz, Tim. ''Art Deco Architecture in Toronto : A Guide to the City's Buildings from the Roaring Twenties and the Depression''. Toronto: Glue Inc., 2009. {{coord, 43, 38, 57, N, 79, 22, 46, W, display=title Demolished buildings and structures in Toronto The Globe and Mail Streamline Moderne architecture in Canada Buildings and structures demolished in 1974 Newspaper headquarters in Canada