#OnThisDay 100 yrs. ago, 'The Forum' building in Toronto was destroyed by fire.

 Located on the S.E. corner of the Gerrard St. & Yonge St. intersection since 1890, The Forum was a multipurpose structure; it held retail, education, also housed residents.



#otd #the6ix #fire

Described as one of the most rapid and destructive blazes in the city’s history. The entire force of the city’s fire department was sent there to contain the fire.


Thousands of spectators arrived on the scene, having a dangerous front row seat right beside the building.

Police convinced the crowd to move away from the blaze. 

One by one the floors of the structure gave way until finally, the tower collapsed in on itself. To protect firefighters from electrocution, Fire Chief Russell had earlier ordered his men to cut nearby streetcar wires.

A complete loss, the remains of the Forum Building were demolished. A new commercial block was constructed on the site by 1924, designed by Architects Sprott & Rolph, this new structure was dubbed the Gerrard Building.

The façade of the 1924 Gerrard building still exists on the Yonge & Gerrard corner today; it’s currently being restored and incorporated along with three other heritage properties to become the base of a new skyscraper.

Thanks for reading this. Take care out there!

#OTD #Forum #fire #1920s #yongestreet #yonge #localhistory #history #vintagetoronto #tdot #the6ix #torontolife #torontohistory #tohistory #Toronto #Ontario #canada #hopkindesign