Toronto Then & Now: The Dominion Bank to One King West Hotel

Built in 1914, the Dominion Bank Building at King and Yonge in downtown Toronto served as the headquarters for the Dominion Bank for 126 years. Later, it became part of the Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD Bank), and in 2006, it transformed into the One King West Hotel & Residence with the addition of a new tower.

With its elegant Beaux-Arts architecture and impressive design, this beautiful building has stood the test of time. In 1914, the Dominion Bank was among many tall structures in Toronto. However, its elegant Renaissance Revival design soon established it as one of the city’s architectural gems.

Visitors could descend via a grand marble staircase to view Canada’s largest vault with a 30-ton door, the heaviest of any bank vault in the country. For safety, the vault was equipped with a telephone in case of accidental lock-ins during the night. Before they installed it, they had to drag the door up Yonge Street using 19 horses and 8 people, creating quite a stir. City newspapers closely followed the journey, and crowds of people came out to watch.

Today it is the One King West Hotel and Residences, which has blended many features of the bank’s heritage into the luxurious accommodations.