The King Edward Hotel

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted March, 2004

There's the Royal York and, yes, the King Eddy, Toronto's two 'big ones'. Attached to the wall here beside the front doors on King Street East, is an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque with these words:

Plaque coordinates: 43.649433 -79.376117

The King Edward Hotel was built by George Gooderham's Toronto Hotel Company to meet the demand in the rising metropolis for a grand hotel. When it opened in 1903, the hotel, affectionately known as the 'King Eddy', was embraced by the city. The fireproof, eight-storey building, designed by eminent Chicago architect Henry Ives Cobb and prominent Toronto architect E.J. Lennox, provided luxury in service in dramatic settings. The 18-storey tower, with its top-floor Crystal Ballroom, was added in 1920-21 to enlarge the hotel. Although threatened with demolition in the 1970s, the hotel was revitalized in 1980-81. On its 100th anniversary in 2003, the King Edward, Toronto's first luxury hotel, remains a vibrant and elegant meeting place for local and international visitors.

Related Toronto plaques
The Gladstone Hotel
The Royal York Hotel
Rupert Hotel Fire

More
Hospitality buildings

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