Gooderham Flatiron Building
Gooderham Flatiron Building
APRIL 2009 | Acrylic on Canvas | 9″ x 12″
The Gooderham Flatiron Building at the intersection of Front and Church is one of Toronto’s most distinctive and historical buildings. It’s also one of the most photographed, though the usual tourist vantage point is a bit further back to fit the CN Tower into the frame. For the past few years the building had been cloaked in scaffolding undergoing a brick-by-brick restoration. I took this photo in January the first time I walked past and saw it with the scaffolds removed. It looks fantastic.
The Flatiron was constructed in 1891 by George Gooderham, who had his personal office in the top floor under the green roof where he could overlook his Toronto business “empire” which included the Gooderham & Worts Distillery, the King Edward Hotel, and the then nearby waterfront. Local historian Bruce Bell has much more to say about the fascinating history of this building, including true tales of underground tunnels.
Myself, I’ve only ever been in the basement of this building, which currently houses the Flatiron & Firkin pub that serves historilicious pints. [map].
You can purchase various prints of this painting from DeviantArt.