IT TOOK NINETY-NINE DAYS to build the Southam Press Building in 1908. And befitting the crown of a publishing empire, jewels were affixed throughout: Striking tile work in the main stairwell. A stained glass street number above the front doorway. Fireproof reinforced concrete beams. A state-of-the-art sprinkler system, just in case. Red curtain walls by the Port Credit Brick Company. Sills, lintels, and coping—all of it Canadian.
Southam occupied 19 Duncan Street for fifty-nine years. By the early 1960s, the basement was filled with modern offset presses. Colouring books were printed on older Crabtrees on the second floor. There was a bindery on the third, along with storage for the maps and pamphlets Southam produced for Esso (that tiger you put in your tank was likely printed here). There were letterpresses, typesetters, composers, and salesmen scattered throughout the six floors. And when everything was running at full tilt, you could feel the building sway—ever so slightly—east to west.
The 58-storey, Hariri Pontarini Architects-designed mixed-use tower began construction in 2018.
specialists ERA Architects and integrated into the modern podium.
The nine-storey office podium houses the new Toronto home of news media giant Thomson Reuters, who signed on to lease the space for 12 years in a $100M USD deal. The 49 levels above are primarily dedicated to residential rental suites, along with a section occupying levels 52 through 55 that house hotel suites.
Update August 2025 - I confirmed that they did not keep the ghost sign!!!
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