299 Queen Street West

299 Queen Street West located on the South East corner of Queen and John is a Toronto landmark. Much of us know it as the location for Speakers Corner, Much Music, Electric Circus and Breakfast Television (pre Dundas Square move). Did you know the building used to be the headquarters for the Methodist Church of Canada? It was built in 1913 in a Neo-Gothic Terra Cotta facade and it was where the church based their printing house. The Publisher was called The Methodist Book Room and eventually became known as the Ryerson Press. If you check the decal on the side of the building you can see the book design, have you ever noticed that before? Also did you know that John street got its name from the founder of York (Toronto) John Graves Simcoe?

Anyways, the building was bought by CHUM in 1987, it became known as “The CHUM-City Building” and since then has been a broadcast location. It is now owned by CTV and a few of the shows have been moved to new City-TV location in Dundas Square. When I think of this building I will always remember plastering my face to the glass to catch a glimpse of Rick the Temp or Strombo. I got to see bands perform there and met members from Lord of the Rings (squee). I remember the girls dancing in the windows for Electric Circus and rambling like an idiot on Speakers Corner. I am glad that this beautiful building has survived so much change and I hope it will continue to do so.