Old City Hall

Sitting at the top of the main financial corridor in the country (Bay Street), Toronto’s Old City Hall remains a quintessential symbol of the growing metropolis. It shares a similar feature to that of Trinity Church stranding at the top of Wall Street in downtown Manhattan. 

The construction took 10 years to complete, spanning from 1889 to 1899. Upon its completion it served as the home for City Council up until 1966 when the city of the day decided to build the modernist “New” City Hall across the street in the newly named Nathan Phillips Square.  

With many discussions over the past 50 years to fully or partially demolish the Victorian architectural masterpiece, no one has ever been able to finalize any plans for its demise. The building’s current use is serving as a courthouse for the Ontario Court of Justice. For the past several years, talks have swirled around of having the building serve as a museum dedicated to the city as a whole. Time will tell the fate of this idyllic Torontonian landmark.