Old City Hall, Toronto

Opened in 1899; the archiitect was E. J. Lennox, Before designing the building Lennox toured the major Richardsonian Romanesque buildings in the United States. The massing of this building seems clearly to have been inspired by H. H. Richardon's own Allegheny County Courthiuse (1888) in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis City Hall (completed 1909; Charles F. Haglin and Charles Morse), and Cincinnati City Hall (ca. 1890, Samuel Hannaford).

While the building also incorporates some decorative motifs from these buildings, Lennox introduced some stylistic innovations and stunning decoration of his own. However, after World War II Toronto City Council, having noticed that there were no Modernist buildings in Toronto, decided to fill Toronto with Modernist buildings. It declared Old City Hall derivative, and in the 1970s announced it would be destroyed to make way for the Eaton Centre. In those days, though, ordinary citizens used to take part in public affairs, and an enraged citizenry rose as one to defend this iconic building. At one of the demonstrations people washed the then pitch-black stone to reveal the beautiful colours underneath, and that tipped the scales. The building was allowed to stand, although with its once magnificent interior gutted, and today it is a provincial courthouse.

This view is looking north on Bay Street towards the south (front) elevation.

The next shot has a view of the west elevation.