The late 1960’s yielded the rise of the first of the TD towers, marking Toronto’s arrival on the world stage. The addition of 3 new buildings and hundreds of millions invested into the restoration and rejuvenation of the historic designs, the towers have remained a staple of Toronto’s Financial District for half of a century.
The design, envisioned and created by renowned architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, widely regarded as a pioneer of modern architecture, is simple, modern, and elegant, and preserves ideologies made famous by Mies. The first, “Less is more,” which has become widely used and understood, though few people know where or when it originated, describes the simplistic yet alluring exterior, composed of blackened steel and tinted floor to ceiling windows. The second, “God is in the details,” defines the brilliant continuity between the public and private spaces of the towers; details that are often overlooked today. The elegance of the granite and travertine, and the beauty of the historic English Oak, seamlessly connecting each space with the next, are details that are worthy of attention and appreciation. Van der Rohe’s commitment to his vision was unwavering, and the opportunity to aid in the preservation and execution of that vision, with the addition of the Conference Centre, was an honor and a privilege. The TD towers remain a remarkable example of the very best of mid-century modern architecture, and continue to inspire architects in the present day. Their inception transformed Toronto’s skyline and served as a proclamation of our innovation on a global scale. They revolutionized the very fabrics of architecture and sparked our imagination for what Toronto could become, rather than coping with what it was. It’s this kind of forward thinking that separated Toronto from the rest; the city we are proud to call ‘home.’