Doors Open at the Canada Life Building

Over the weekend, GWL Realty Advisors was pleased to participate once again in Doors Open Toronto by welcoming over 5,000 visitors, from nearby and far away, to the Canada Life building on University Avenue. Now in it’s 19^th year, Doors Open Toronto provides people with the opportunity to see inside more than 100 historically, culturally, and architecturally significant buildings across the Greater Toronto Area.

Visitors were invited to embark on a self-guided tour through the lobby, that features the Canada Life company’s original brass plaque embedded into the floor, to the Hugh C. Baker Room where they could watch a video about the history of the building. Throughout the hallway, historic documents and photos were laid out illustrating the rich history of the building and the surrounding area.

Guests were then invited to the 17^th floor to take in beautiful views of the city. A few floors above this observation deck is the Canada Life Beacon. Inspired by a similar beacon in New York, it became operational in August 1951. For years, many Torontonians depended on it for weather forecasts. Today, the information is updated four times daily, seven days a week, by Environment Canada’s Weather Centre at Pearson International Airport.

Throughout the weekend, we were proud to show off the building, which is normally closed off to the public, to the community. We appreciated hearing stories from visitors who had a personal connection to the building through their families and friends, and we look forward to opening the building to the public once again next year.

Thank you to our wonderful volunteers who made the weekend a big success.

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