222 Jarvis Street, Brutalist office building in Toronto, Canada
222 Jarvis Street is a ten-story office building featuring an inverted pyramid shape with pre-cast concrete walls clad in dark brown brick veneer. The structure appears solid and angular, characteristic of brutalist design from the 1970s.
The building was designed in 1971 by architect Maxwell Miller as the Canadian headquarters for Sears. Ontario government acquired it in 2007 and converted it into office space for state agencies.
The building's dark brown brick veneer over pre-cast concrete sets it apart from the Victorian brick and stone of Jarvis Street. Its inverted-pyramid profile, wider at the top than at the base, is visible from the street, and the two-storey glass atrium added in the 2011 retrofit opens the main-floor lobby toward Jarvis Street.
The building sits on Jarvis Street, one of Toronto's oldest streets, and is easily accessible by public transit. Note that this is an office space and visitor access may be limited.
The province set out to reach LEED Gold, not to certify a finished result: the retrofit was a model showing that an older building could cut its carbon footprint. WZMH Architects cut a 190-square-metre skylight into the roof and added a two-storey glass atrium toward Jarvis Street.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,335 contributors worldwide.
