This week's Throwback Thursday takes us to the intersection of Queen and Yonge in the year 2000, where an urban intensification project was adding a 19-storey office tower atop a heritage 1912 bank building on the intersection's northeast corner. In the north-facing photo below, new construction can be seen rising from the bank's roof for the WZMH Architects-designed 2 Queen Street East.

Site of 2 Queen East seen in 2000, image by Edward Skira

Fast forward to 2016, and the office tower with lead tenant Manulife Financial, has long since been completed. Clad in metal and glass, the tower features aluminum-clad columns that emphasize the structure's verticality, while a curving sculptural roof has become a recognizable feature on the Financial District skyline. The 2016 view below also shows the crane from the HNR Dundas Square rental tower, two blocks to the north.

Completed 2 Queen East, March 2016, image by Jack Landau

A wider view helps to put the full tower in perspective. This same view will soon be further altered by the 60-storey Massey Tower, which will rise to the north on Yonge Street.

Completed 2 Queen East, March 2016, image by Jack Landau

We will return next week with another look at the changing face of Toronto!