Now
there might be some confusion, as many
Torontonians may refer to two different
buildings when talking about “City
Hall”. The “Old City Hall”
is located on Bay Street and Queen Street,
and hasn’t served officially as
City Hall in a while. Right next door
is a much more modern building that can’t
be missed; this building is called “New
City Hall” and is Toronto’s
official City Hall. People either like
they way it looks or they hate it, but
like it or not the building is the seat
of power for Canada’s largest city.
Once the “home away from home”
for former Mayor “Mad” Mel
Lastman, the building’s design was
the result of a competition. A Finish
man named Viljo Revell winning the contest,
and made a very odd ball building. Briefly
described, there is a saucer shaped room
in the center that serves as the main
council chamber, and it can house 300
people.
The
two “radar dish” buildings
on the side are where the city of Toronto
stores most of its civil servants. In
front of the building is Nathan Phillips
Square (the concrete square with the three
hoops), which serves as a fountain during
the warm months, an ice rink during the
cold months, and a homeless shelter all
year round.
Many have used Toronto City Hall as a
place to film; the building is considered
to be “very futuristic”, and
it was recently used in the move Resident
Evil 2. People who work there know that
the building is anything but futuristic,
needing several renovations to be finished
so that it could handle the rigors of
modernity. The site is also the location
of an annual New Years Eve party.
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