1895–1991: Simpsons
The 1896 sandstone building located on Queen Street slightly west of Yonge Street was built by Toronto firm of Burke and Horwood for Simpson's Department Store in the Romanesque Revival style with Chicago School influences.[2][3] The fireproof steel frame structure replaced the original 6-storey store that burned in 1895 just three-months after opening.[4] The store was built to replace the original Simpson's dry goods business at 184 Yonge Street [5] and was located directly across from rival retailer's Eaton's Annex.
The store's interior featured an open atrium that extended from the ground to the sixth floor. In addition to other departments, the basement featured a coffee shop and discount division. In 1954, it was connected to the Queen subway station and later to the PATH network.
In the early 20th Century, a Dominion supermarket (City Hall Market) occupied the northeast corner of the ground floor. It closed in the 1960s.
The store outgrew the capacity of the structure by 1900, leading to the first of several expansions. Burke and Horwood returned with additions in 1907 and 1923.[6] The largest expansion came in 1929 with Chapman and Oxley's nine-floor Art Deco addition (facing Bay and Richmond) capped by the Arcadian Court.[7] When construction completed, the store occupied two full city blocks.
In 1969, John B. Parkin's Simpson Tower was added to the complex at the corner of Queen Street West and Bay Street to house Simpson's offices.
Unlike Eaton's, the store survived the remaking of the neighbourhood and retained the original look. A glass-enclosed bridge was added in the late 1970s to allow customers to access the Toronto Eaton Centre without braving the elements or traffic.
Today's Special, a children's television series that aired on TVOntario and in the United States on Nickelodeon during the 1980s, utilized the location for several scenes.
1991–2025: Hudson's Bay
In 1991, the Simpson's name was replaced with the banner The Bay (later rebranded to "Hudson's Bay" in 2013).
The Bay Queen Street continued the Simpson's tradition of Christmas-themed display windows facing Queen Street West west of the main Queen Street entrance.
The store was rebranded to Hudson's Bay in 2013, and sub-divided to include the Saks Fifth Avenue Canadian flagship store in 2016. The previous Hudson's Bay flagship store was located several blocks north at the Hudson's Bay Centre on Bloor Street East, and existed alongside the Yonge and Queen flagship store until 2022.
In January 2014, HBC announced it had sold the property to Cadillac Fairview through a sale-and-leaseback arrangement, with HBC leasing the property for at least the following 25 years (with options for a further 50 years). Under the deal, the store is for the first time considered an official part of the Cadillac Fairview-owned Toronto Eaton Centre.[8]
The main department store space was divided into two, with one side remodeled and opened in 2016 as a Saks Fifth Avenue
2025–present
In 2025, Cadillac Fairview wanted to continue the Christmas season tradition of Christmas displays in the ground floor display windows. Thus, CF offered to lease the display windows to companies who wished to install such a seasonal display. Windows would be available on the Yonge, Richmond and York street sides of the building but not on the Queen Street side due to Ontario Line construction. Mars Inc., the candy bar maker, so leased windows on the Yonge Street side.[16][17]
