The real estate ad calls it a “landmark” in an “irreplaceable location.” Heritage reports describe the curved five-storey building next to Union Station as “a rare and exceptional example in Canada of Beaux-Arts Classicism.”

But the most remarkable thing about the Dominion Public Building at 1 Front St. W., may be its resistance to the downtown’s encroaching glass towers.

That’s about to change, however.

Although the interior and exterior heritage features of the old flat-roofed customs house will be protected, the building is up for sale and will likely be the basis for a significant development.

Considered surplus by the federal government, it serves as an office for about 1,500 employees, including Canada Revenue Agency workers, who will be relocated in the Toronto area by 2021.

The Dominion Public Building is being touted for its “exceptional development potential” in a newspaper ad by BMO Capital Markets, sales agent for the building.

That’s probably not an exaggeration, said Barry Fenton, president and CEO of Lanterra Developments. He calls it “one of the most magnificent buildings left in the city of Toronto,” and he thinks the site could potentially host a tower taller than Lanterra’s Ice condos near Bremner Blvd. and York St. They stand at 65- and 55-storeys.

“Because you’re having to replace a lot of heritage in there — which you should — there’s a cost analysis that will have to be taken into consideration as well,” said Fenton.

Depending on what the city allows, the site could house up to 1 million sq. ft. suitable for a hotel, commercial and residential uses, he said.

Lanterra, which has incorporated heritage buildings into its projects including 1 Bedford Rd. and the Burano on Bay St. near College St., will bid on the 2-acre site, said Fenton.

A city staff report notes that the depth of the site, access limitations, parking and loading considerations are among the potential development constraints.

“It is up to the real estate industry to bring 21st century design and conservation excellence to one of the city’s most important and busiest intersections, and in the context of the urban design of Union Station,” said the report.

There will be another report in the spring on what could be approved in light of the office development planned south of the Dominion Public Building.

The Dominion Public Building is a reminder of the design excellence that took place during the great Depression, said a report from Toronto planning and heritage staff.

Prospective buyers have until Feb. 2 to submit a bid on the property. However, because of city approvals, it’s likely to be years before any construction starts on the property.

A heritage landmark

The Dominion Public Building received Canada’s highest heritage designation in 1983. But that protection expired once the building was transferred out of federal hands, so the city moved last year to protect it municipally.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Built in two phases between 1929 and 1935, Toronto’s third customs house was used by the government to inspect, store and tax imported and exported goods.

It stands on a stretch of Front St. that was redesigned after the great fire of 1904, and was conceived as part of a grand boulevard connected by impressive architecture. The customs house was among the works of Thomas Fuller, the Canadian government’s chief architect for public works.

Beaux Arts is the international style that was applied to public buildings in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Neighbouring Union Station and the old Bank of Montreal building on the north side of Front St., that now houses the Hockey Hall of Fame, are built in the same style.

There are many heritage features inside and on the exterior of 1 Front St.,W. Here are a few noted by city heritage staff:

The limestone cladding that is channeled on the extended first floor.

The two-storey main entrance with three round arched openings that contain bronze doors with transoms that incorporate rope detailing and cast metal beavers.

Classical detailing on the Front, Yonge and Bay street fronts of the building that include carved acanthus leaves, the dentils and stone lions’ heads.

The fenestration — an architectural term for the arrangement of doors and windows on the elevations of a building — between the pilasters (ornamental columns) that include double arched openings on the first floor and single, paired and triple flat-headed openings on the other floors.

Inside the building, the layout of the public spaces on the first floor, including three marble-clad lobbies.

The east vestibule and lobby, which incorporate marble floors, dado (a decorative wall feature) and door and window surrounds, including one pediment inscribed “Long Room.”

Marble counters with brass wickets, a double row of square columns with pilasters and Corinthian capitals (the decorative features that cap columns), entrances with bronze doors and metal window mullions, among other features in the two-storey east pavilion Long Room.