The Mackenzie House stands out with its mid-nineteenth century yellow brick facade and ornate iron porch on Bond Street. This was the final home of William Lyon Mackenzie, Toronto's first mayor and a firebrand rebel who led the failed…
City Halls and Civic Square
Compare Toronto's grand 19th-century Romanesque structures with its bold mid-century modernist masterpieces on this walk through the heart of the city's civic and legal history.
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1. Mackenzie House
2. Memorial - Old City Hall Cenotaph
A granite cenotaph rises from the pavement directly in front of the heavy sandstone walls of Old City Hall. Dedicated in nineteen twenty-five, the memorial honors those from Toronto who died in the First World War. Bronze figures of…
3. Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square features a massive, curved concrete archway and a reflecting pool that doubles as a skating rink in winter. Named for a former Toronto mayor, the square opened in nineteen sixty-five as the centerpiece of a new city…
4. Toronto City Hall
Two curved concrete towers wrap around a saucer-shaped council chamber, making Toronto City Hall look like an abandoned spaceship from the nineteen sixties. Architect Viljo Revell won an international competition for the design, beating…
5. Osgoode Hall
Osgoode Hall stands out for its elaborate wrought iron fence, a barrier originally designed to keep cows from wandering onto the front lawn. This nineteenth century neoclassical building serves as the home to the Law Society of Ontario and…
6. Campbell House Museum
The Campbell House sits tucked behind the bustling Art Gallery of Ontario, marked by its severe, grey Palladian symmetry and high stone foundations. Built in eighteen twenty-two for Chief Justice William Campbell and his wife, Hannah, it…