Benvenuto Place was among modernist pioneers

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Archiseek / Canada / News / 2004 / May 1

It's hard to imagine that One Benvenuto Place could ever have seemed attractive, but when it opened in 1956, it represented the latest word in architectural fashion. Situated picturesquely on the west side of the Avenue Rd. hill, this was one of Toronto's first brushes with the International Style. Since then, of course, modernism has changed the face of just about every city in the world — and not for the better. Still, if one looks carefully enough and squints a little, it's possible to find in Benvenuto some of the optimism that went into its design. Unlike the other (more beautiful) apartment buildings in the neighbourhood, this one was all about transparency and light. Where other apartments were decorated boxes with small windows, Benvenuto was an undecorated box with big windows. The yellow-brick exteriors also help lessen the impact of what is actually a sprawling slab.

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