Toronto City Hall
The building that forced Ontario to open its architecture competitions to the world.
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Finnish architect Viljo Revell won the 1958 international design competition — the first in Ontario open to non-local architects, a rule change pushed by Mayor Nathan Phillips himself. The Neo-Expressionist Modern result opened in 1965 alongside Nathan Phillips Square, the two conceived as one unified civic project. The Old City Hall it replaced, after 66 years of municipal use, still stands directly next door.
What to look for
- Nathan Phillips Square, designed and opened as part of the same composition as the hall — not an afterthought, one gesture
- The neighboring Old City Hall, occupied by city government since 1899 and still standing next door
- The Neo-Expressionist Modern form by Viljo Revell and engineer Hannskarl Bandel — a deliberate break from the Classical style earlier City Beautiful proposals had called for
Located at Queen Street West and Bay Street; Nathan Phillips Square is open public space at street level.
Toronto City Hall is one of 19 sights worth the detour in Toronto, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Toronto pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Toronto
- CN TowerFor 32 years, a railway company's broadcast antenna was the tallest free-standing structure on Earth.
- BMO FieldThe 2007 soccer-specific stadium that grew into Toronto's outdoor dual-sport arena — and now holds 45,736 for the 2026 FIFA World Cup under the temporary name Toronto Stadium.
- Scotiabank ArenaA 1941 postal sorting depot on Bay Street that became Canada's busiest arena — and the most photographed spot in the country on Instagram.
- Royal Ontario MuseumCanada's largest museum packs 18 million objects — Cambrian sea creatures, East Asian art, and Art Deco clothing and design objects — into 40 galleries on Bloor Street.
- Rogers CentreThe world's first fully retractable motorized roof opened here in 1989 — and 70 hotel rooms still peer straight down onto the field.
- First Canadian PlaceFor 50 years it was Canada's tallest building — until a fellow Toronto skyscraper finally beat it in June 2025.