Union Carbide Building
NORTH ELEVATION: Union Carbide. (Photo:1997)
Name: Union Carbide
Address: 123 Eglinton Avenue West
Architects: David Horne, Shore and Moffat
City/Province: Toronto, Ontario
Built: 1958
Status: Demolished July 1999
"While one may not agree on its historicity, one can't dismiss the fact that the Union Carbide building is unique, both structurally and aesthetically. It was engineered in such a way that its weight is supported entirely by its outside columns; uncluttered by posts, these airy interiors could be easily adapted to different needs...
...the builders chose to give the building an interesting mix of materials; granite, nickel and stainless steel creating a countenance full of dignity and character. Equally significant was that Union Carbide was one of north Toronto's first major corporate headquarters. During the post-war years, before the incredible influence of the media and the advent of the internet, corporations sought to create their identities through impressive architecture in impressive locations and had been slowly relocating from city cores to outlying suburban areas. Union Carbide's move to Yonge and Eglinton was not only emblematic of this but a credit to the neighbourhood itself. This corporate exodus in the 50s and 60s helped other areas like Don Mills and Scarborough's Golden Mile district hone their solid, respectable, middle-class pedigrees which in turn attracted more families, which facilitated more home construction, which helped more tax dollars find their way into city coffers and so on and so on". from the Wreckers Ball by Dave LeBlanc. LeBlanc is a freelance writer and radio producer who lives and works in Montreal.
SOUTH ELEVATION: Union Carbide. (Photo Credit: Scott Burgess)
DEMOLITION: Union Carbide Building. (Photo Credit: Scott Burgess)
"Thank God someone else is out there that is as concerned as I am about the terrible record the Toronto Heritage Board has in saving our heritage. I thought the demolition of the Anglo Canada Insurance Building and the Primrose Club, both on St. Clair Avenue West were bad enough. I've been pulling my hair out over the last two years trying to keep the Union Carbide Building from being demolished. This building should not have been torn down. I felt helpless to do anything but write letters that I know are ignored by development oriented city councillors.
Now I hear that the MacKenzie building has been sold, I'll give you even odds that it will be torn down to make way for another overpriced,hulking condominium, MY BLOOD IS BOILING!! What can I do, other than writing letters to make these people and the public listen. We need a strategy, we need political action, we need militancy, we need mass picketing, we need to educate the public. I hereby offer myself to youin any way you need me to help get this preservation movement off the ground and in peoples' faces. If New York City can have a law that protects buildings, why can't we? THANK-YOU for what you are doing and as I have said let me know what more I can do". Scott Burgess, Toronto
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"The Union Carbide building was also famous for its collapse, that launched it into the world collection of famous building failures. There was a lot of criticism at the time that welds rather than rivets were used in its fabrication.The structural frame fell across Eglinton Avenue with two remarkable results - No one was killed, and the welds did not fail. Whereas there had been criticism of the introduction of welded connections, the actual failure became a proof of the reliability of welded connections." Terry Mills, Toronto,2002, Terry@Vrilworks.com
Tell Toronto Mayor how you feel about the loss of our architectural heritage.
URBANISM
Urbanism is dedicated to Canadian Modern Architecture & Design, and to the Preservation of Architecture across the Dominion of Canada. Urbanism was launched in mid-1998 in a campaign to save Toronto's CNE Grandstand Stadium from demolition. Urbanism is a resourse for the public to utilise and act if they so choose. These will include demolition alerts, new construction, databases on Modern Architecture, General Canadian Architecture, Architects, Industry, and Canadian Industrial Design.
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