halls of commerce

on a trip to toronto a couple of years ago, my son dawson and i took a walk around the downtown area. we came across this building and went inside. if my memory serves me correctly, it’s on bay street.

when we entered the building, passing through the ubiquitous revolving doors, i felt as if i had walked into a cathedral. but not the kind of cathedral i am drawn to. rather a static facility brought to life only by the people moving in and through it. a cold inert sort of energy filled the space and it had a decidedly non-spiritual feel to it. but the soaring forms arcing overhead and the choice of colour drew me in to look at it and take pictures. over the intervening time i have come to think of these two images as my “cathedral of pecuniary opportunity” images.

for those of you used to older market halls and railway terminii, these images may evoke memories of such places but on a much grander scale.



it's a brave design if only because there is so much open space. also it has an outlet to the sky through the ceiling which, for those of you who have spent any time in the larger buildings of downtown anywhere, is a rare experience. the choice of colour is unusual, sitting just off the edge of teal.