Former tallest buildings in Canada by province and territory

Between 1888 and the 1970s, Canada was placed second in the world in terms of sheer number of skyscrapers . The tallest were located in Canada's biggest cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, but up to fifteen skyscrapers were found in Winnipeg, most of which were built before 1920. In 1939, there were hundreds of high-rises in Canada, Many of them located in Montreal, which was enjoying a boom, but the tallest ones were found in Toronto.

Here is list of skyscrapers, churches, and other notable buildings found in Canada and built between 1809 and 1939.

An asterisk ( * ) in the Building field indicates that the building has been destroyed. An asterisk in the Height field indicates an estimation. When a building's height is listed as an estimation, it is given its estimated height based on the number of floors, comparison with its neighbours, estimation from books and other documentation, as well as other factors.

Alberta

Years

Building

City

Height

Storeys

Image

1983-present

Petro-Canada Centre - West

Calgary

72
Bankers Hall - West

1976-1983

Scotia Centre

Calgary

41
Scotia Centre

1975-1976

Bow Valley Square 2

Calgary

39
Bow Valley Square

1974-1975

715 - 5th Avenue SW

Calgary

32

1971-1974

Telus Plaza South

Edmonton

34
Telus Plaza

1971

Coast Edmonton House

Edmonton

45

1966-1971

CN Tower, Edmonton

Edmonton

26
CN Tower

British Columbia

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Victoria|Driard Hotel (2nd)*

30 ?

7

1890-92

Victoria

John Teague

Willows Exhibition Building*

43 ?

**

1892?

Victoria

??

St. Andrew's Cathedral

54 m

**

1892

Victoria

Perrault and Mesnard

Christ Church Cathedral

1895

Vancouver

C.O. Wickenden

Christ Church Cathedral*

41

1896

Victoria

J.C.M. Keith

British Columbia Parliament Buildings

45

5

1897

Victoria

Francis Rattenbury

Holy Rosary Cathedral

70

1900

Vancouver

Julian and Williams

Woodward's building

12

1903

Vancouver

W.T. Whiteway

Dominion Building

45

13

1910

Vancouver

Helyer and Son

Sinclair Centre

43

7

1910

Vancouver

David Ewart (for Post Office)
Thomas Hooper (Winch Building)

Sun Tower

84

17

1912

Vancouver

W.T. Whiteway

Vancouver Block

56

16

1912

Vancouver

Parr and Fee

Birks Building*

48 *

12

1913

Vancouver

Somervell and Putnam

Credit Foncier Building

41

10

1913

Vancouver

Barrot, Blackader and Webster

B.C. Permanent Loan Building

40 *

10

1914

Victoria

Standard Building

52

15

1914

Vancouver

Russell, Babcock and Rice

Hotel Vancouver (1916)* (not the current hotel of that name)

77

17

1916

Vancouver

Francis S. Swales

Hotel Georgia

48 *

12

1927

Vancouver

Garrow and Graham Sr.

Georgia Medical Building*

68 *

17

1929

Vancouver

John Young McCarter

Marine Building

98

21

1930

Vancouver

McCarter and Nairne

Vancouver City Hall

55

12

1936

Vancouver

Townley and Matheson

Royal Bank Building

85

18

1937

Vancouver

S.G. Davenport

Hotel Vancouver

111

17

1939

Vancouver

Archibald and Schofield

Manitoba

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Eaton's Department Store*

46

9

1904

Winnipeg

John Woodman

Union Bank Tower

48

10

1904

Winnipeg

Darling and Pearson

Lindsay Building

44

11

1911

Winnipeg

Woodman and Carey

Confederation Building

46

12

1911

Winnipeg

J. Wilson Gray

National Bank Building

50

13

1911

Winnipeg

John D. Atchison

Electric Railway Chambers

45

12

1912

Winnipeg

PRATT and Ross, Charles S. Frost

Hotel Fort Garry

59

14

1913

Winnipeg

Ross and MacFarlane

Marlbourgh Hotel

42

10

1913

Winnipeg

J. Chisholm & Son

Paris Building

42

11

1915

Winnipeg

Woodman and Carey

Bank of Hamilton Building

45

10

1916

Winnipeg

John D. Atchison

Manitoba Legislative Building

79

5

1920

Winnipeg

Simon and Boddington

New Brunswick

Building

Height

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Christ Church Cathedral

60

1853

Fredericton

Frank Wills

Fredericton City Hall

47

4

1876

Fredericton

MacKean and Fairweather

New Brunswick Legislative Building

41

4

1882

Fredericton

J.C. Dumaresque

Newfoundland and Labrador

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Anderson House

?

1805

St. John's

James Anderson

Government House

?

1831

St. John's

Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

24

1847

St. John's

Bishop Edward Feild

Bank of British North America Building

?

1849

St. John's

William Howe Greene

Colonial Building

?

1850

St. John's

James Purcell

Basilica of St. John The Baptist

48

1855

St. John's

J.P. Jones

Saint Bonaventure's College

?

1858

St. John's

JOnAS Barter

Benevolent Irish Society Building

?

1880

St. John's

John Coleman and William Kelly

Masonic Temple

?

1894

St. John's

Cabot Tower

15

1897

St. John's

William Howe Greene

St. Patrick's Church

60

1914

St. John's

J.J. McCarthy

Northwest Territories

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

The Wildcat Cafe

?

1

1937

Yellowknife

?

Nova Scotia

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

St. Mary’s Basilica

58

1829

Halifax

Patrick Keely

Dingle Tower

40

10

1912

Halifax

Andrew R. Cobb and S.P. Dumaresq

Dominion Public Building

50

13

1929

Halifax

Westin Nova Scotian

60 *

15

1930

Halifax

Ontario

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

St. James Cathedral

93

1874

Toronto

Cumberland and Ridout

Mackenzie Building Royal Military College of Canada

1878

Kingston

Robert Gage

Temple Building

40 *

10

1885

Toronto

George W. Gouinlock

Ontario Legislature

55

5

1893

Toronto

Richard A. Waite

Old City Hall

104

5

1899

Toronto

E.J. Lennox

King Edward Hotel

72 *

18

1903

Toronto

E.J. Lennox

Trader's Bank Building

60 *

15

1905

Toronto

Carrère and Hastings

Canadian Pacific Building

60 *

15

1911

Toronto

Pearson and Darling

1 King Street West

48 *

12

1914

Toronto

Pearson and Darling

36 Toronto Street (Excelsior Life Insurance Company)

48 *

12

1914

Toronto

E.J. Lennox

Optima Business Centre

84 *

21

1915

Toronto

302 Bay Street

52 *

13

1917

Toronto

Curry and Spalding

Currie Building Royal Military College of Canada

1922

Kingston

22 Front Street West (Gowans-Kent Building)

60 *

15

1923

Toronto

MacVicar and Heriot

330 Bay Street

64 *

16

1925

Toronto

Chapman and Oxley

Manulife South Tower

56 *

14

1926

Toronto

Henry Sproatt

National Building* (demolished Dec. 11, 2006; facades to be re-erected as part of future Bay Adelaide Centre)

48 *

12

1926

Toronto

Chapman and Oxley

Queen's Quay Terminal

43

13

1926

Toronto

Moores and Dunford

Dominion Building*

48 *

12

1927

Toronto

T.W. Fuller

Victoria Tower

84 *

21

1927

Toronto

350 Bay Street

52 *

13

1928

Toronto

S.B. Coon and Son

Canada Building

70

14

1928

Windsor

Concourse Building

68

16

1928

Toronto

Baldwin and Greene

Ford Hotel

48 m*

12

1928

Toronto

302 Bay Street

43

13

1929

Toronto

Curry and Spadling

Park Hyatt South

68 *

17

1929

Toronto

Hugh Holman

Pigott Building

64

18

1929

Hamilton

Prack and Prack

Prudential House

64 *

16

1929

Toronto

Kaplan and Sprachman

Royal York Hotel

124

28

1929

Toronto

Ross and Macdonald

Sterling Tower

84 *

21

1929

Toronto

Chapman and Oxley

Tip Top Tailor Building

48

11

1929

Toronto

Bishop and Miller

Old Toronto Star Building*

88 *

22

1929

Toronto

Chapman and Oxley

Balfour Building

48

12

1930

Toronto

Benjamin Brown

Canada Permanent Trust Building

77

18

1930

Toronto

Henry Sproatt

Commerce Court North Building

145

34

1930

Toronto

Pearson and Darling

Merchandise Building

56 *

14

1930

Toronto

Burke, Horwood and White

Private Patients Pavilion (Bell Wing)* Toronto General Hospital

40 *

10

1930

Toronto

Pearson and Darling

Victory Building

80 *

20

1930

Toronto

Baldwin and Greene

Canada Life Building

87

15

1931

Toronto

Sproatt and Rolph

Maple Leaf Gardens

50

1931

Toronto

Ross and Macdonald

Christ the King Cathedral

52

1933

Hamilton

Hutton and Souter

Whitney Block

64 *

16

1933

Toronto

Francis R. Heakes

Princess Margaret Hospital

72 *

18

1935

Toronto

Henry Sproatt

Toronto Western Hospital

64 *

16

1935

Toronto

Ottawa

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Rideau Hall

3

1838

Ottawa

Thomas McKay

Canadian Museum of Nature

50

4

1912

Ottawa

David Ewart

Chateau Laurier

57

11

1912

Ottawa

Bradford Lee Gilbert, Ross and Macfarlane

Centre Block of Canadian Parliament

92

13

First finished in 1865. Only library remains of original building after fire of 1916. Completed again in 1927.

Ottawa

John A. Pearson and Jean-Omer Marchand

Supreme Court of Canada

47

4

1939

Ottawa

Ernest Cormier

Quebec

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Notre-Dame Basilica

75

1829

Montreal

James O'Donnell

Marché Bonsecours

45

2

1847

Montreal

William Footner and George Browne

St. Patrick's Basilica

69

1847

Montreal

P. L. Morin and Félix Martin

Saint-Pierre-Apôtre Church

72

1853

Montreal

Victor Bourgeau

Mary Queen of the World Cathedral

71

1886

Montreal

Joseph Michaud

Christ Church Cathedral

70

1859

Montreal

Frank Wills

Montreal City Hall

41

5

1878

Montreal

Eugène-Étienne Taché

Parliament building

52

8

1886

Québec City

Eugène-Étienne Taché

New York Life Insurance Building

50

11

1888

Montreal

Babb, Cook and Willard

Canada Express Building

40

10

1908

Montreal

Hutchison and Wood

Linton Apartments

40

10

1908

Montreal

Samuel Arnold Finley and David Jerome Spence

Eastern Township Bank Building

40

10

1909

Montreal

Insurance Exchange Building (1910)

40

10

1910

Montreal

Transportation Building*

40

10

1911

Montreal

Yorkshire Building

40

10

1911

Montreal

Saxe and Archibald

La Sauvegarde Building

40

10

1914

Montreal

Saxe and Archibald

Drummond Building

40

10

1915

Montreal

Howard Colton Stone

Windsor Station

60

15

1916

Montreal

Bruce Price

1 Avenue du Port

58

14

1922

Montreal

Medical Arts Building

40

11

1922

Montreal

Ross and Macdonald

Tour de l'Horloge

45

1922

Montreal

Insurance Exchange Building (1924)

44

11

1924

Montreal

David Jerome Spence

Le Chateau Apartments

54

15

1926

Montreal

Harold Lea Featherstonhaugh;
Ross and Macdonald

Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

91

1923

Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

Chateau Frontenac

80

18

1893

Québec City

Bruce Price

Confederation Building

44

11

1928

Montreal

Ross and Macdonald

Hôtel-Dieu de Québec

60 *

15

1928

Québec City

Tour de la Banque Royale

121

22

1928

Montreal

York and Sawyer

Dominion Square Building

48 *

12

1929

Montreal

Ross and Macdonald

Bell Telephone Building

96

22

1929

Montreal

Ernest, Isabell, Barott and Blackader

Édifice Montréal Star

45

12

1930

Montreal

Ross and Macdonald

Édifice Price

82

18

1930

Québec City

Ross and Macdonald

University Tower

57

15

1930

Montreal

Ernest Cormier

Aldred Building

97

23

1931

Montreal

Barott and Blackader

Édifice Jean-Antoine-Panet (Quebec Ministry of Agriculture)

43

8

1931

Québec City

Sun Life Building

122

24

1931

Montreal

Darling, Pearson and Cleveland

Architects Building

68

17

1932

Montreal

Ross and Macdonald

1425 René-Lévesque Boulevard (Hotel Ford)

48 *

12

1934

Montreal

J. Foster Warner

Édifice André-Laurendeau

52

11

1934

Québec City

Lacroix, Drouin, and Bergeron

Saskatchewan

Building

Height
[m]

Floors

Built

City

Architect

Hotel Saskatchewan

45

12

1927

Regina

Ross and Macdonald

Hotel Bessborough

56 *

14

1935

Saskatoon

Archibald Schofield

See also

  • List of buildings
  • Tallest structures in Canada
  • List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto
  • List of heritage buildings in Vancouver

References

  • Baker, Marilyn, Manitoba's Third Legislative Building: Symbol in Stone:The Art and Politics of a Public Building, Hyperion Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba 1986
  • Cameron, Stanley, Stones of History: Canada's Houses of Parliament, Film Board of Canada
  • Denby & Kilbourn, Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons, and History,Oxford University Press, Toronto 1986
  • Edwards, Gregory, Hidden Cities: Art & Design in Architectural Details of Vancouver & Victoria, Talonbooks, Vancouver, BC 1991
  • Kalman, Phillips and Ward, Exploring Vancouver: The Essential Architectural Guide, UBC Press, Vancouver 1993
  • Kvaran, Einar Einarsson, Architectural Sculpture in America, unpublished manuscript
  • McHugh, Patricia, Toronto Architecture: A City Guide, McClelland & Stewart Inc., Toronto 1989
  • McMullen, Barbara, Ottawa's Terra Cotta Architecture: Two Walking Tours, Heritage Ottawa, Ottawa, 2003
  • Maitland, Hucker & Ricketts, A Guide to Canadian Architectural Styles, broadview press, Peterborough, ON 1992
  • Taggart, Jim, The Architecture of Downtown Victoria, Blue Steps - Pacific Walking Tour Guides, Vancouver, BC 2000
  • skyscraperpage.com
  • emporis.com
  • The Notman Archives.