Stelco Tower

100 King Street West (King at James)
Hamilton, Ontario
Structure: self-weathering steel frame
Completed 1973
Architect: Arthur C.F. Lau
Style: International

I'm including this International-style building in my list of favourites not only because it's one of the centrepieces of my hometown, Hamilton, but also because it's constructed of a unique material. The Stelco Tower, erected as part of Hamilton's multiphase urban revitalisation project, was to be the head office for Canada's largest steel company (and my father's long-time employer), Stelco. The company used the 26-story tower to demonstrate the versatility of steel and to showcase its newest development, "Stelcoloy"—a specialised steel alloy designed to slowly rust over time. The rust helps protect the steel from further damage. This process of oxidation accounts for the steel's unique self-colouring nature—the steel was grey-blue when the building was first erected! The Tower is also noteworthy because during a particularly brutal wind storm in the late 90's, several window panes from the upper floors came crashing down to the street below. Fortunately, this happened during the early morning hours when the street was free of pedestrians.

Photo courtesy Hamilton Public Library, Special Collections, http://www.hpl.hamilton.on.ca