Former Toronto Star building saved from demolition by proposed hotel development

Development of Sky Tower, above, once spelled demolition for the historic Toronto Star building. Now, it will be preserved and repurposed as a separate hotel entity. (Image via Le Méridien Toronto)

Up until 2022, the landmark Toronto Star building on 1 Yonge Street was the home to the namesake publication. But after the paper relocated to The Well, the building sat empty for three years. It was slated for demolition up until just a few months ago, when the iconic 25-storey tower was saved from teardown by Pinnacle International. The real estate company announced their plans to repurpose the building’s Brutalist-style architecture into a hotel with 468 rooms. Though a large portion of the city is located on Lake Ontario, there aren’t many hotel rooms in the city with water views; this new property will change that quickly.

The building’s waterfront location, which is also near Queen’s Quay Terminal, the Scotiabank Arena, and Union Station is an ideal home base for visitors. It will now be part of the larger new development in the area, instead of demolished to make way for it. That development includes the new Sky Tower, which will become Canada’s tallest building at 106 storeys. The first 12 floors of the Sky Tower will house yet another hotel, Le Méridien Toronto (Marriott-affiliated, for all those in the points and status game), which is on track to open this year spring. A different hotel operator will be tapped for the former Star building.

“That’s one of the reasons why we’re pursuing a [separate] hotel,” Pinnacle vice-president of sales and marketing Anson Kwok told The Globe & Mail. “We’ve had a lot of positive feedback [about Le Méridien], and we have hotels in Vancouver. So it’s not really an uncommon use for us.” No word yet on what the hotel brand will be, or how long the repurposing should take, so keep an eye out for developments—and for the opening date of Le Méridien Toronto.

Hotelier Magazine broke the news of Le Méridien’s arrival way back in 2024, and according to their comment section, at least one person is waiting with bated breath for its opening.

(via Hotelier Magazine)

Jim, you are the hotel freak of the week. I really think you’d like it here. Hope he gets notified, some way, somehow.