City Hall & Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto

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Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips, named after a former Toronto Mayor, Square is a large square in front of the City Hall. The square holds many civic and special events throughout the year. In winter, the square is temporarily converted in a popular ice skating rink.

In the centre of the square there is The Peace Gardens and various sculptures are dotted around the city.

City Hall

Mayor Nathan Philips, then the mayor, in 1957 commissioned Viljo Revell, a Finnish architect, to design a new City Hall. Revell designed it as such that the building would have a striking and symbolic presence in the city. The City Hall was completed and Governor Vanier opened the building.

Old City Hall

This was known as Toronto's third City Hall which is at the opposite end of the square to the new City Hall. The building was designed by Edward James Lennox and built in 1899 and were Toronto Council offices until 1965. Today the Old City Hall is now a Provicial courthouse.

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In Portugal we use to say that "one image speaks more than 1000 words". Having that in mind, and more than 1000 pictures to post, I decided to change my behaviour, posting the pictures as soon as they are ready, and adding the comments later.
Don't get mad on me - I'm glad to share my pictures with you, and the comments will be added soon.

The magnificent twin tower City Hall building in Toronto was designed by the Finnish architect Viljo Revell. In City Hall there are 15 departments, a 23-member City Council and 7.000 employees.

Inside of City Hall on the ground floor you can see the corner stone of the buliding.

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The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is one of the most distinctive landmarks of the city. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965; its modernist architecture still impresses today. It was built to replace Old City Hall, across the street, which was built in 1899. The old City Hall Building is now a Criminal Court House.

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Interestingly, the current city hall and former city hall of Toronto are across the street from each other. When the new one was built, the old one was meant to be destroyed, but this provoked such a public outcry that it was preserved.

The current city hall, designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, was opened in 1965. Its peculiar form has made it one of the symbols of Toronto. There are 45-minute guided tours of the building; if you are interested, it is recommended to book at least 2 weeks in advance by contacting the city of Toronto at accesstoronto@toronto.ca or 416-338-1200. You can also do a self-guided tour by downloading and/or printing the following page: http://www.toronto.ca/accesstoronto/self_guided_tour.htm.

The former city hall, opened in 1899, was drawn up by renowned Toronto architect E. J. Lennox, who designed over 70 buildings in the city. (His other well-known and popular building is the Casa Loma mansion.) It was declared a National Historic Site in 1989. You can take a peek inside here as well, and there are exhibits presented on the first floor. The following page has a description of the main features: http://www.toronto.ca/old_cityhall/old_cityhall_tour.htm.

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It has to be noted that the tourist spot in the intersection of Bay & Queen Streets which is known as the Old City Hall is the third built by the City of Toronto. The first city hall was burned down. The second is located inside the St Lawrence Market. The third is the popular Old City Hall. The fourth is the current or New City Hall. The Old City Hall was designed by EJ Lennox in 1887 to fit central site at head of Bay Street. In one structure, these municipal buildings combined on City Hall in the east portion and Court House in the west. The building, constructed mostly of sandstone from Credit River Valley was begun in 1889. 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. One of the highlights of the Old City Hall is the Clock Tower which measures 300 feet tall. On Decembeer 31, 1900, the bells rang for the first time the largest of which is called Big Ben weighing 11,648 pounds. Come visit the Old City Hall of Toronto and the other "must see" attractions are just within walking distance.

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The Toronto City Hall is within the Nathan Phillips Square in Downtown Toronto. The square is named after Nathan Phillips, the Mayor from 1955 to 1962.

This tourist attraction became popular to both tourists and Canadians. The locals congregate around the pool to relax and people watch in the summer time and enjoy the Peace Garden in the middle. It is also at this season of the year when free concerts, dance performances and art exhibition are being held. You will also enjoy winter season in Toronto. The pool is being used and transformed as an outdoor skating rink. Please be aware that there are skates for rent in a small building at the square.

In one of the photos I posted here, you will see the arches over the pond or ice rink. This is called the Freedom Arches that was built in the Year 1989. There are still a lot to see at the Square to make your stay in Toronto a memorable one. Other tourist attractions can be reached on foot if you enjoy walking.

Come visit Toronto and I will show you around the downtown core including the most visited Nathan Phillips Square and The New Toronto City Hall.

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This is a beautiful old building designed by architect Edward James Lennox and officially opened during September 1899. It took over a decade to construct at a cost of $2.5 million and has been included on the Canadian Historic Buildings Register.

At the time of opening it was the city's biggest structure and also the largest municipal building in North America.

The new City Hall was opened in 1965 and is located close by.