In Pictures: Opening the door to the vault
Some buildings in Toronto hide unexpected gems. That’s the case with One King West Hotel and Residence, at Yonge and King streets, which housed the Dominion Bank for 126 years. At the core of the building lies what was, at the beginning of the 20th century, the largest and best-equipped bank vault in Canada.
Located at the bottom of a wide marble staircase leading from the personal Banking Area (now the lobby of One King West Hotel and Residencies) is the former Toronto-Dominion bank's original vault.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Matt Black, One King West Hotel and Residence's Director of Marketing looks into the security lock of the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault. Only a handful of people ever knew the combination of the safe. The Hotel occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
At the time it was considered the largest and best equipped bank vault in Canada, the former Toronto-Dominion bank’s original vault is now in the basement of One King West Hotel and Residences in Toronto.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Matt Black, One King West Hotel and Residence's Director of Marketing, opens the door to the subterranean corridors surrounding the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault. The hotel occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Despite its mammoth weight, the door of the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault is very precise. The hotel occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
To prevent thieves from tunneling into the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault, passages were built around and beneath it. One King West Hotel and Residence occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
During the construction of the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault the door was dragged up Yonge Street by a team of 19 horses and 8 teamsters. The hotel occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Matt Black, One King West Hotel and Residence's Director of Marketing points at the steel walls surrounding the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
Security passages surround the former Toronto-Dominion Bank's vault. One King West Hotel and Residence occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail
The security vault at the basement of One King West Hotel and Residencies is now used to hold private events. The hotel occupies the building where the bank once was.Gloria Nieto/The Globe and Mail