Toronto iconic building almost never happened

Toronto iconic building almost never happened

Photo courtesy of author

By Bruce Gates

Go downtown to Nathan Phillips Square on any given day and you will see sightseers, Filipinos among them, happily snapping pictures of each other in front of the large “Toronto” sign, with that unusual-looking building rising in the background.

For locals, that building is New City Hall; for visitors, it’s like something out of a sci-fi movie (and yes it has had a cameo in a number of those, including a Star Trek episode).

What most people — including the 250,000 Filipinos who live and work in and around the City of Toronto — may not know is New City Hall, one of the most iconic buildings in Canada, almost never happened. But for the intervention of one judge, the building that has become an international symbol of Toronto would have been just another also-ran entry in the city’s international design competition.

The story goes that Eero Saarinen, a world-renowned architect and a senior member on the Toronto design jury, returned to the city from abroad, looked at the other jurors’ choices, and then asked them, “Show me your discards.” It was at this point that the panel was persuaded to include the present City Hall design entry among the eight finalists. And ultimately, it became the winner.

This is the 60th anniversary of the decision to hold a competition open to architects around the world (alas none from the Philippines), after an unpopular proposal was rejected by voters. Mayor Nathan Phillips, whose name lives on in the square named for him, was a key player in launching that international competition, in 1956. Ironically, when the winning design by Finnish architect Viljo Revell was announced in the fall of 1958, he didn’t much like it — no doubt concerned in part by what it would cost to build ($31-million). Revell died just a year before his creation was completed. Visitors to the City Hall lobby will see his name carved into one of the pillars.

All of this, and more, is outlined in a fascinating coffee-table sized book (203 pages), Civic Symbol: Creating Toronto’s New City Hall, 1952-1966, by Christopher Armstrong, and available at many Toronto Public Library branches and at Chapters and Indigo bookstores ($49.95).

The book was published last year to celebrate City Hall’s 50th anniversary and it details the many twists and turns, the intrigues and challenges that took place before New City Hall saw light of day. For those interested in architecture, this book will be a useful addition to their libraries. It’s filled with text and many pictures of a large number of the nearly 500 design entries from more than 40 countries. (Disclosure: This writer thinks the jurors made the right choice.)

When the City Hall finally opened on Sept. 13, 1965, it changed Toronto forever; the once-provincial and conservative city had finally come of age. And today the building is a magnet for tourists from across the country and around the world.