City Hall was designed in 1887 by E.J. Lennox to fit this central site at the head of Bay Street. In one structure, these municipal buildings combined a City Hall in the east portion, and Court-house in the west. The building, constructed mostly of Credit River Valley sandstone, was begun in 1889 but not opened until September 18, 1899. Massive, round-arched and richly carved, it is in the Romanesque revival style, then popular in expanding cities throughout North America. The interior, as complex and monumental as the exterior, includes a large stained-glass window by Robert McCausland. The building was acquired by the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto in 1965 when the City moved to a new City Hall on the adjacent Civic Square.

Location

In front of the east wing of the building, 60 Queen Street West, Toronto

Themes

• Buildings and structures
• Politics and law