Hidden inside Toronto’s historic Dominion Bank building which is now home to One King West Hotel and Residence, is one of our city’s coolest secrets.
Cool! Where Exactly?
The building is located on Yonge Street between King and Melinda Street on our financial district.
The building itself still impresses with its grand marble staircase and the beautifully restored Grand Banking Hall. Once through the main lobby, head down the stairs.Here, you’ll discover the King Street Vault. Installed in 1914.
A Vault?
This vault houses a 40-ton steel door and was once Canada’s largest and most sophisticated vault at the time, yet can still be moved with just one finger. The engineering was a marvel for 1914, with such precision that even a paper clip in the wrong spot would stop it from closing.
Inside, the vault was built with safety features like a ventilation system and a phone in case anyone got locked in. Today, the vault is more than just history—it’s a chic event and filming hot spot that’s appeared in Suits, The Handmaid’s Tale and the movie RED.
Today, you can’t enter the actual vault unless you book ahead or plan an event such as a wedding or meeting space. But it’s good to know that just around the corner, the vault is accessible through The PATH, the underground network of shops and marble hallways that run under our city.
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