// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhy did the Dominion Hotel go to therapy? It had a lot of "room" for improvement.
| Dominion Hotel | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2013, prior to restoration | |
 Interactive map of the Dominion Hotel area | |
General information | |
| Location | 498 Queen Street East Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°39′25″N 79°21′33″W / 43.65694°N 79.35917°W |
Completed | 1889 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | David Roberts Jr.[1] |
The Dominion Hotel is a historic building at 498 Queen Street East in the Corktown neighbourhood of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.[2] As of February 2025[update], the building was closed for an extensive restoration and planned to reopen as a boutique hotel.[3]
History
[edit]Constructed as a hotel in 1889,[4] the building is a historic hotel structure,[5] and a designated heritage property.[6] Its first owner was Robert T. Davies, who founded the Dominion Brewery to the west of the building (now Dominion Square) in 1877. Davies had previously been the manager of the nearby Don Brewery, which was owned by his relative Thomas Davies.[7] The building's architect was David Roberts Jr. (1845–1907), who also designed the Gooderham Building (also known as the Flatiron Building) at 49 Wellington Street East.[3]
As originally constructed, the hotel was four stories tall, had a mansard roof, and a small tower.[6][8] The top floor once "boasted an elegant performance space".[7] Around 1950, the structure lost its fourth floor, mansard roof and tower.[1]
The hotel re-opened in 1998 as a bar,[7] known as Dominion on Queen, which closed in 2014 for renovation work. In mid-2015, FAB Restaurant Concepts leased space on the ground floor to open Dominion Pub & Kitchen on November 30, 2015.[9] The upper floors were used as a rooming house of 25 units. Dominion Pub & Kitchen closed in mid-2023.[10]
In 2021, ERA Architects was engaged to restore the building and convert it into a boutique hotel.[3] The renovated storefront would feature large windows, recessed entrances with wheelchair accessibility, large glazed openings, ornate transom windows, and a paneled base. Original interior finishes, such as metal ceiling tiles, wood paneling, and terrazzo floors, would be preserved. For the upper storeys, decorative cornices were replaced and sandstone was repaired.[11]
Gallery
[edit]
This is as the building appeared in 1945, with the fourth floor and its mansard roof and corner tower still intact. The building now has a flat roof.
See also
[edit]Other boutique hotels in Toronto include:
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Roberts, David Jr". Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
- ↑
Shelly Sanders Greer (April 28, 2007). "Corktown bubbles up". Toronto Star. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016.
Corktown also had Toronto's first Roman Catholic church, the Dominion Hotel, and was one of the entry points for some slaves escaping the United States by boat via the Underground Railroad.
- 1 2 3 "After a restoration, the Dominion Hotel is ready for guests again". The Globe and Mail. February 18, 2025.
- ↑ "Dominion on Queen". Beeradvocate. Archived from the original on July 22, 2013.
- ↑ Derek Flack (January 5, 2011). "The lost hotels of Toronto". Blog TO. Archived from the original on April 12, 2013.
- 1 2 "Dominion Hotel". TO Built. Archived from the original on March 24, 2013.
- 1 2 3
David Kidd. "19th Century Toronto: Labour History Walking Tour" (PDF). Labour Council of Ontario. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 14, 2013.
The Dominion Hotel, which originally boasted an elegant performance space on its top floor, reopened in 1998 as a bar.
- ↑
"Dominion Hotel on Queen". Then and Now Toronto. May 13, 2011.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "New pub moving into Dominion on Queen space". blogTO. June 30, 2015. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
- ↑ "Toronto neighbourhood heartbroken after historic pub permanently closes". blogTO. June 23, 2023. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024.
- ↑ "The Historic Dominion Hotel/". ERA Architects. Archived from the original on February 24, 2025. Retrieved February 23, 2025.
External links
[edit]
- The Historic Dominion Hotel – ERA Architects
- Toronto's iconic Dominion Hotel was just listed for under $5 million – blogTO (May 2026)