Old City Hall Cenotaph, Toronto, War memorial at Old City Hall in Toronto, Canada.
The Old City Hall Cenotaph is a granite war memorial standing at the front steps of Old City Hall in Toronto, modelled on the Cenotaph at Whitehall in London. Its only inscription reads "TO OUR GLORIOUS DEAD", and it commemorates Torontonians who died in the First World War, the Second World War and the Korean War.
The memorial was unveiled in 1925, following a design competition that drew around 50 entries, won by architects W.M. Ferguson and T.C. Pomphrey. It was built to mark Toronto's public mourning for the losses of the First World War.
Every November 11, the memorial becomes the center of Toronto's Remembrance Day ceremony, drawing large crowds to the steps of the old building. Wreaths are laid by city officials and members of the public, and a moment of silence is observed together.
The memorial is freely accessible at any time and sits in central downtown Toronto, making it easy to reach by public transit. Around November 11, expect road closures and larger crowds in the surrounding streets.
A stone in the memorial was laid by British Field Marshal Haig on July 24, 1925, during the monument's construction. The memorial was unveiled that November 11, modelled on the Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, and cut from Canadian Shield granite.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,180 contributors worldwide.