Bay Street - Points of Interest

Points of Interest

The intersection of Bay and King Street is often seen as the centre of Canadian banking and finance. Four of Canada's five major banks have office towers at the intersection — the Bank of Montreal at First Canadian Place, Scotiabank at Scotia Plaza, the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) at Commerce Court, and Toronto-Dominion Bank at the Toronto-Dominion Centre — and the fifth, the Royal Bank at Royal Bank Plaza, is one block south. Historically, Bay and King was known as the "MINT Corner" from Montreal, Imperial, Nova Scotia, and Toronto, but since 1962 the Imperial Bank has been part of CIBC and the Bank of Nova Scotia has rebranded itself, so this nickname is no longer widely used. The core cluster of towers has crept north with the addition of the 50-storey Bay Adelaide Centre and the Trump Tower Toronto.

Significant condominium development on Bay, north of the financial district, boomed during the 1990s and construction continues on large, 40-plus storey condominiums and multi-use buildings today. The area is defined by Dundas Street to the south and Bloor/Yorkville to the north and crosses through Toronto's Discovery District.

The area attracts many who work in the financial district as well as those who work in the Discovery District, nearby hospitals and schools (Ryerson University and the University of Toronto). More than 67% (or 10,380) of residents in this area are in the working ages of 25-64, significantly higher than the City of Toronto's average of 58%.

Notable buildings along this stretch include:

• Toronto Coach Terminal
• Residences of College Park
• 777 Bay
• Murano
• Sutton Place Hotel
• Bistro 990
• Manulife Centre

Another prominent intersection is the one nearest Yorkville at Bay and Bloor, the centre of an expensive shopping district.

The intersection of Bay and Bloor is the location of the Toronto Transit Commission's Bay subway station. Bay Street is served by the route 6 Bay bus, which is one of the few downtown bus routes. The street was originally served by streetcars lines, which were gradually phased out after the north-south Yonge and University subway lines opened in 1954 and 1963 respectively. The remaining streetcar tracks between Dundas and College Streets are now used for short turns and diversions.