Old City Hall, Heritage courthouse in Old Toronto, Canada
Old City Hall is a Romanesque Revival courthouse at Queen and Bay streets in downtown Toronto. Its tan and brown stone facade is symmetrical, with a central projecting entrance topped by a rose window, two wings capped by pyramidal roofs, and a clock tower with a steep hipped roof and round clock face rising above the roofline.
The building was completed between 1889 and 1899 following designs by architect E.J. Lennox to serve as the seat of Toronto's municipal government. After a new city hall opened in 1965, it was converted into a courthouse and continues to serve the legal system in the city.
The building's name reflects its role as Toronto's third city hall from 1899 to 1966, before municipal government moved across Bay Street. Visitors can spot the architect's name, "EJ LENNOX ARCHITECT AD 1898", carved into corbels beneath the upper eaves around the entire building, a signature Lennox added after councillors refused him a plaque.
The courthouse operates on weekdays for hearings, and visitors can view the exterior facade from the sidewalk at any time. Interior spaces are accessible only during court hours, with security checks at the entrance.
Architect E. J. Lennox, denied a plaque by councillors angry over cost overruns, had stonemasons carve "EJ LENNOX ARCHITECT AD 1898" into corbels beneath the upper eaves around the entire building. The clock tower rises 103.6 metres, and four gargoyles removed from it in 1938 were replaced in 2002 by bronze casts that are not exact copies, as the original designs were lost.
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