The south side of Nathan Phillips Square opposite the City Hall frames the Sheraton Center Toronto has been a landmark of Queen West since 1972, and new plans submitted to the city show a major exterior update in the works for the 1,300-room tower.

In the decades since the hotel opened as the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel, the city blocks around the 42-story tower have matured, as has the property’s branding and signage to reflect the changing times.

What was first the Four Seasons Sheraton Hotel became the Sheraton Center of Toronto, and most recently the name was reduced to the Sheraton Center Toronto.

The Sheraton Center as seen from Nathan Phillips Square. Photo over Sheraton Center Toronto.

The hotel with signs of age underwent an extensive renovation in 2016 and the property was a short time later bought by Brookfield Asset Management in 2017 for a staggering $ 335 million.

In 2020, Brookfield and the Sheraton Center began another major revitalization to modernize several areas of the aging concrete titanium while maintaining its distinctive mid-20th century atmosphere.

The latest news about the Sheraton Center’s ongoing updates came in the form of a signage application filed with the city on Thursday.

Plans to update the property’s branding include a proposal for nineteen new signs to replace the existing signage. This is to replace the distinctive Sheraton crest on the west side of the tower and, most importantly, the massive Sheraton Center shield that crowns the south side of the tower.

West and South elevations of the Toronto Sheraton Center with updated signage. Diagram from Kramer Design Associates.

A black trellis with hanging plants will crown a refreshed entrance on Queen Street. This design detail matches more floating green in the lobby, another element of the renovation that began in 2020.

Sheraton Center Toronto

Updated Queen Street entrance to the Toronto Sheraton Center. Rendered by Kramer Design Associates.

not how another signage revision the recently planned nearby Sheraton Center pursues a restrained minimalist approach that seems to take into account the architectural concrete design of the building.

Sheraton Center Toronto

Looking west on Queen Street West towards the Sheraton Center Toronto. Rendered by Kramer Design Associates.

These new changes could go into effect until the hotel’s 50th anniversary, October 16, 1972, now just over a year.

Sheraton Center Toronto

Updated Porte-Cochère at the Sheraton Center Toronto. Rendered by Kramer Design Associates.

One of the largest hotels in Toronto and the second tallest hotel-only building in the city was the Sheraton Center particularly badly affected by the pandemic, abandoned with a huge property to maintain and little demand for travel accommodation.

Sheraton Center Toronto

Looking west on Queen Street West towards the Sheraton Center Toronto. Rendered by Kramer Design Associates.

Still, the latest round of proposed changes shows that property owners are still optimistic about a recovery in travel that has been expected for some time.