At the corner of Front Street and Bay Street lies the crown of Toronto’s public transportation system – Union Station. A major transportation hub, with connections to Toronto’s Subway, GO Transit, VIA Rail, Streetcars and Buses, Union Station is the busiest transportation hub in Canada.
A fire destroyed much of downtown Toronto in 1904. This catastrophic event did, however, create enough space for the construction of a major train hub in the downtown area. After a difficult war-time construction period which lasted almost 7 years (1914-1921), and the bankrupcy of one of the train companies (the Grand Trunk Railway), the station was complete. However, the particulars, in a show of true Canadian spirit, spent 3 years fighting over grade seperations. (This is the method by which railway tracks are seperated from roadways through bridges, different track routes, etc..). Finally in 1927, the station was open to the public.
At the opening ceremony, the Prince Edward, the Prince of Whales remarked that we Canadians built our railway stations like how the British built their cathedrals. One can easily understand why. The beautiful structure is from the “Beaux-Art” style of archetecture, which emphasizes symmetry and a multitude of archtectural influences. A first-time visitor to Union Station can’t help but be taken aback by its opulence and the beauty. Everything, from the roof to the floor, is adorned with, what to me is, ceremic art. I have never seen a more beautiful station in Canada or Japan.
