Last spring, work got under way on a $5 million restoration of the Beaux-Arts style terra cotta and granite facade of the One King West Hotel & Residence at Yonge and King Streets. Opened in 1914 as the headquarters of the Dominion Bank, the historic high-rise was incorporated into a new 51-storey hotel and condo tower back in 2005. Though the redevelopment of the One King West property gave new life to the historic structure, its heritage component has faced issues caused by water and freeze-thaw cycles in the years since the redevelopment's completion. These issues eventually culminated in the property owner's proposal to reclad the base structure in 2014.

One King West viewed from Yonge Street north of King, image by Jack Landau

Led by Limen Group Construction, the project cleaned and restored some sections of the facades, while patching in new materials supplied by US-based architectural terra cotta manufacturer, Boston Valley Terra Cotta. Now, the scaffold and protective membranes used to facilitate the work have been removed from the building's north and east facades, revealing beautifully restored granite on the lower four floors, and terra cotta on the remaining levels above.

North facade of One King West, image by Jack Landau

Several ornate elements on the building's exterior have been restored to their former glory, from the balustrade above the street level entrance to the upper cornices marking the roofline.

Restored balustrade above One King West's King Street frontage, image by Jack Landau

In addition to the beautiful exterior work on the building, the restoration also involves interior remodelling of the hotel's suites. The modern addition that sits above the historic base has remained untouched by the restoration work, and aside from a bit of extra noise, it has been business as usual for residents of the luxury condo tower. 

East facade of One King West with condo tower visible above, image by Jack Landau

Exterior work continues on the south facade of One King West, and a scaffold and protective membrane can still be seen covering the entirety of the south side of the historic building.

South side of One King West still shielded from view, image by Jack Landau

You can keep up on One King West's centennial restoration in the Projects & Construction thread, linked below. Leave a comment there or in the space provided on this page.