The former Imperial Oil Building at 111 St. Clair West has to have one of the more colourful histories amongst Toronto office buildings. The building was designed by Alvin Mathers of Mathers & Haldenby and was supposed to be Toronto's new city hall but was rejected by the city which subsequently held an international design competition that was won by Finnish architect Viljo Revell. The design and plans were then purchased by Imperial Oil for their new St. Clair headquarters.

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The building was put up in 1957 during the Cold War. Such features as thick walls, small windows, large offices and wide hallways as well as it's relative isolation from the core made officials decide to use the building as a hospital in case of a nuclear attack. Owing to the buildings proximity to the wealthy residents of Deer Park and Forest Hill it was decided not to use the very noisy practice of riveting the steel together and instead the entire frame of the building was welded making it the largest welded frame building in the world at the time of it's completion. Imperial Oil left the building a number of years ago and it has been sitting empty waiting for a buyer.The former Imperial Oil Building at 111 St. Clair West has to have one of the more colourful histories amongst Toronto office buildings. The building was designed by Alvin Mathers of Mathers & Haldenby and was supposed to be Toronto's new city hall but was rejected by the city which subsequently held an international design competition that was won by Finnish architect Viljo Revell. The design and plans were then purchased by Imperial Oil for their new St. Clair headquarters.

Image by androiduk

The building was put up in 1957 during the Cold War. Such features as thick walls, small windows, large offices and wide hallways as well as it's relative isolation from the core made officials decide to use the building as a hospital in case of a nuclear attack. Owing to the buildings proximity to the wealthy residents of Deer Park and Forest Hill it was decided not to use the very noisy practice of riveting the steel together and instead the entire frame of the building was welded making it the largest welded frame building in the world at the time of it's completion. Imperial Oil left the building a number of years ago and it has been sitting empty waiting for a buyer.

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Image by androiduk