Royal Bank Building, High-rise building in Bay Street Corridor, Toronto, Canada
The Royal Bank Building is a high-rise office tower at 20 King Street West in downtown Toronto, Ontario, built with a facade in gray and steel tones rising twelve floors. It connects directly to Toronto's underground pedestrian network, known as the PATH, through a passage at its base.
Construction started in 1964 when the chairman of Royal Bank of Canada laid the cornerstone, making this one of the earlier modern towers to appear along Bay Street. By 1977, the bank had shifted its main Toronto operations elsewhere, and the building transitioned to general office use.
The Royal Bank Building sits in Toronto's financial district, where office workers fill the streets during weekday mornings and lunch hours. The area around King Street West and Bay Street is known locally as the center of the city's business life.
Access to the building is generally limited to business hours since it operates as an office tower, and security is present at the entrance. Those wishing to use the underground PATH connection can enter through the building's lower level, which is especially convenient during cold or rainy weather.
The Royal Bank Building was completed around the same time as several other towers nearby, part of a rapid wave of construction that reshaped Bay Street within a single decade. Before this period, the same block had been occupied by much lower buildings, and the skyline changed faster here than in almost any other part of the city at the time.
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