Observation decks in Toronto that once offered spectacular city views

Long before the CN Tower offered unrivalled views of Toronto, locals had a surprisingly wide selection of observation decks to soak in the city from above.

While many of these lost destinations still technically exist to this day, the surviving spaces have been rendered inaccessible to the public, whether converted into office space or condos through renovations, dwarfed by surrounding buildings, or cut off due to safety and accessibility concerns.

Here are eight Toronto observation decks you can no longer visit.

Commerce Court North

A trip up to this Art Deco masterpiece’s 32nd-floor observation deck was one of the hottest tickets in town from its opening in 1931 through the mid-1960s, when surrounding modern office towers began sprouting in the Financial District, blocking the observation level’s sweeping views.

Though off-limits to the public today, the observation deck — complete with distinctive archways formed by imposing gargoyles — remains unchanged from those boom days of the 20th century.

Imperial Oil Building

A rejected design for Toronto City Hall tabled in 1955 was ultimately built a few kilometres to the north at Avenue Road and St. Clair. When it opened in 157, the 21-storey Imperial Oil Building’s public observation deck offered unparalleled city views thanks to its position atop the former Lake Iroquois shoreline escarpment.

However, the construction of downtown bank towers in the decade that followed — despite arguably adding to the observation deck’s views — would cut into business with their own viewing decks and ultimately result in the closure of the viewing area in the late 1960s.

The office building was converted into private condominiums in the 2010s, eliminating any future shot of a reinstated observation deck.

Commerce Court West

The aforementioned Commerce Court North’s observation deck was, in part, blocked by a modern office building from legendary architect I.M. Pei in the International Style popular in the mid-20th century.

Commerce Court West welcomed tenants in 1972 and opened its observation deck the following year, where, for 50 cents, visitors could ride an elevator to the top and take in city views as late as 10 p.m.

Commerce Court West was the city’s tallest structure upon completion, a title it held for a brief three years before the CN Tower stole its crown away. The CN Tower’s opening also robbed Commerce Court of its claim of the highest observation deck in the city.

Visitors soon dwindled, and the empty observation deck was eventually closed in 1977 and converted to valuable commercial office space.

City Hall

When (new) City Hall opened in 1967, it was the talk of the town — and also one of the best places to view it. The east tower’s 27th-floor observation deck welcomed the public for less than a decade and a half before it was shuttered in 1979 due to rising maintenance costs and safety concerns.

However, this is one observation deck that the public can still occasionally visit, and has been included as a stop on Doors Open Toronto in previous years.

Old City Hall

Even the predecessor of the current City Hall featured a public observation deck. Old City Hall’s clock tower was the tallest structure in Canada for almost two decades from its 1899 completion until 1917.

During its early years, the public could ride an elevator up to the observation deck just below the clock face of the 340-foot tower. The public viewing deck offered impressive views down Bay Street to the harbour, though the elevator to the top was decommissioned in the 1920s, and these views are now reserved for a select few maintenance workers.

TD Centre

The TD Centre is now one of the city’s most recognizable office complexes, but its initial TD Bank Tower was a standalone monolithic presence unrivalled by anything else in the country when it was completed in 1967.

The tower’s 55th floor was originally an observation deck with unobstructed views in all directions, and it remained popular until the CN Tower stole its thunder in the years that followed.

Within six months of the CN Tower’s observation deck welcoming its first visitors, crowds at the TD Centre’s observatory had dwindled, and the decision was made to pull the plug in April 1977. The space was later converted into office space, and, while it still exists today, you’ll have to climb your way up the corporate ladder to experience those same views.

Pearson Airport

One outlier on this list is the former Aeroquay One terminal at what is now Pearson International Airport. It’s the only observation deck on this list that has been demolished, and also the only one that didn’t offer views of downtown Toronto.

However, long before the post-9/11 paranoia led to tightened security at airports worldwide, you could actually park your car literally on top of the airport and feel the exhilarating rush of jet engines screaming close overhead, or just hang out on a dedicated in-terminal viewing deck.

Following the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, access was restricted. Just three years later, the modernist landmark was demolished as part of a major airport expansion.

Canada Life Building

This imposing landmark rises 17 storeys above University Avenue, crowned by its famous weather beacon. Long before the city was built out with tall towers, the small observation deck near the top of this 1931 office building was one of the highest spots in town that the public could visit.

The Canada Life Building observation deck occasionally welcomes visitors during Doors Open Toronto. GWL Realty.

However, like many other office buildings on this list, the needs of office tenants clashed with public use, and access to the space was ultimately restricted to just the odd appearance during Doors Open Toronto festivities.

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