The Toronto Star building may escape demolition by converting into a fancy hotel

Hold that wrecking ball. The old Toronto Star building at 1 Yonge Street just might be saved from demolition after developer Pinnacle International announced that it now wants to convert the tower into a luxury hotel—with long-term potential to replace the hotel with private residences down the line.

In a November 17 release, the mega-builder said it had submitted a zoning application to the city to adapt the 25-storey former office building for hospitality. Pinnacle promises to retrofit the interior to include 468 guest suites, a grand lobby and a ballroom.

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In October, Pinnacle also made sweeping changes to its neighbouring complex, Pinnacle One Yonge, where 80- and 85-storey residential towers will replace what would have been 24- and 40-storey offices. The gigantic development includes the 106-storey SkyTower, which will be Canada’s tallest residential building.

“What solidified the decision to explore hospitality...was the great response to placing a hotel at SkyTower,” said Anson Kwok, vice-president of sales and marketing at Pinnacle International, in a statement. “There’s broad interest...within the waterfront community to embrace Toronto as a waterfront city, which requires more hotels to support its growth into a tourist destination. The building already has the bones, address and recognizability to become an iconic hospitality destination.”

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Pinnacle has so far developed four hotels across Western Canada and California, with four more planned for 2026.