CTV Queen Street

The building at the corner of Queen Street West and John Street in downtown Toronto is now the headquarters and studio center of Bell Media, the media arm of Bell Canada. Dating from 1913, the facade is striking for its Gothic Revival style and distinctive terra-cotta surface, which is why the building is protected as a historic landmark. It was originally built as the headquarters of the Methodist Church of Canada and later housed the United Church of Canada and the publisher Ryerson Press. Since 1987, the building has served as an innovative broadcasting site after being converted for broadcast operations.

Visitors can admire the architectural ensemble from the outside, where the restored facade stands in sharp contrast to the modernized interior. The building's concept does away with traditional, walled-off television studios; instead, public areas, offices, and even the parking lot are designed to serve as filming locations. At the street corner of Queen and John, large sliding glass doors offer a direct view into the productions, while on the east facade you can see a stylized Nieuwag element whose wheels turn. Shows such as etalk and The Social are produced here, and various channels such as BNN Bloomberg, CTV Comedy Channel, and Much have their studios in this complex.

The history of the site is closely tied to the development of Canadian television. After it was acquired by CHUM Limited and later CTVglobemedia, before Bell Media took control in 2011, the building became a central hub for live broadcasts and festival coverage. The annual MuchMusic Video Awards turned the surrounding area into a street party, with the adjacent streets closed to traffic. Because of construction work for the Ontario Line beneath Queen Street, some news programs such as CP24 and BNN will move to a different studio center in the coming years, which will further change the character of the historic building.