ExperienceTO: Toronto City Hall Historical Tour

Old Toronto City Hall and York County Court House was designated a national historic site in 1984 because this Richardsonian Romanesque structure is among Canada’s most important examples of monumentally scaled city halls; and because its superb downtown site, richly carved sandstone surfaces, and variety in colour and texture combined in a clear expression of the region’s late 19th century self-confidence. Canada’s Historic Places

In 1957, then Mayor Nathan Phillips convinced City Council to hold an international design competition for a new City Hall on the northwest corner of Queen and Bay. A total of 520 designs were received from 42 different countries. The winner of the competition was Finnish architect, Viljo Revell. Because Mr. Revell was not registered as an architect in Canada, the Canadian firm John B. Parkin Associates assisted him with the City Hall project. Successors to that company still act as consultants on important architectural issues affecting the building. Viljo Revell’s design was divided into three main parts: the podium, the convex circular council chamber and two office towers of differing heights. The entire City Hall complex had a sculptural quality that would make it a striking landmark and ideal symbol of a growing city. (City of Toronto)