The original terminal was located on the east side of the Toronto Harbour Commission Building at Bay and Harbour Streets. The terminal in the picture was destroyed by fire in 1907 and was rebuilt. A steamship terminal and berth areas was added to the east side. The site is now filled in and occupied by a parking lot.
Second terminal location (1918–1972)
When the infilling of the harbour took place after 1918 the docks moved to Queen's Quay west of Bay Street. It had a waiting room and was heated in the wintertime. This terminal would be there until the redevelopment of the Toronto waterfront would begin in the 1970s. Where this terminal was is now the Harbour Square condos.
Third terminal location (1972–present)
The third terminal opened in January 1972, shifted about 100 metres to the east. The new terminal was part of a planned 85 million dollar waterfront project started in 1964, and completed in the early 1970s at the cost of 250 million dollars that would see the Bay Street shipping slip filled in and Harbour Castle Hilton and Harbour Square condos built. The cost of the new terminal was But unlike the previous terminal, no waiting room was provided, and had crowding problems starting in its first season. Metro Parks Commissioner Tommy Thompson would have liked to see the new terminal right at the foot of Bay Street, where the old one was, but it was placed where it was to be part of the condo-hotel complex. Minor upgrades have been made to replace the original ticket booths with newer and larger ones located just north of the original entrance and partially covered by a canopy. at the terminal. The terminal was named in honour of Layton in 2012. In 2012, the Toronto City Council voted unanimously to rename the terminal in honour of late New Democratic Party leader and former Toronto City Councillor Jack Layton. In 2013, on the second anniversary of Layton's death, it was renamed in Layton's memory and a bronze statue of Layton riding on a tandem bicycle was installed at the site.
New Terminal
In 2015, a winning design was announced for a renovation and redesign of the terminal building. The first phase of construction is expected to be complete in April, 2019.
Usage
There is an estimated 1.2 million passengers to the station per year, mostly in the summer months. The three larger ferries are stored here during the winter months. The ferries exposed decks are covered by a white tarp.
