Formerly: CanWest Global Place Formerly: TD Centre Formerly: Toronto Dominion Centre Built: 1990 Designed by: Charles Bentall Architects Type: Skyscraper Stories: 33 Maximum Height: 420 feet / 128 meters Location: 201 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Canada
T his is perhaps Winnipeg's most recognizable skyscraper. At 32 stories, it is the largest in the city, and the tallest in Canada between Toronto and Calgary. In addition to its office use, the building includes an underground shopping mall. The skyscraper was built on top of an existing 40,000 square foot telecommunications center which was kept in operation during construction. The developers of the project pride themselves on the fact that they managed to have its 466,755 square feet of rentable space 95% leased by completion. This, at a time when Winnipeg's downtown office market was flat. This should be a lesson to others; the reason so many firms were eager to move into the new building was because it was a signature tower and a landmark for the city. Instead of just another black glass block to be ignored, it became a focal point drawing both second glances and all-important dollars. The Toronto Dominion Centre is also noted for a less-glamorous reason. It comprises one of four corners that make up what is considered the windiest intersection in Canada. The wind blows off the Rocky Mountains, across 2,000 kilometers of prairie, and up the "Portage Avenue Wind Tunnel" to Main Street.
