Nathan Phillips Square and Toronto City Hall

Viljo Revell'S 1965 City Hall, Chosen From An International Competition Of 520 Entries, And The Civic Square In Front Of It Toronto'S Principal Public Space, With A Reflecting Pool That Becomes A Skating Rink Each Winter · Toronto, Ontario

In 1958 Toronto ran an international competition for a new city hall and got five hundred and twenty entries. The winner was a Finn, VILJO REVELL, whose design was two curved towers of unequal height cradling a low domed council chamber between them - from the air it reads as an eye. It was radical for a provincial Canadian city in 1965 and it changed how Toronto saw itself. Revell died the year before it opened. The square in front carries his name collaborator's intent rather than his own: it is named for Nathan Phillips, the mayor who pushed the competition through, and it is where Toronto actually gathers - protests, concerts, Pride, the Christmas market, and a REFLECTING POOL THAT FREEZES INTO A PUBLIC SKATING RINK every winter under the concrete arches. The three-dimensional TORONTO sign installed for the 2015 Pan Am Games was meant to be temporary and is now permanent.

100 Queen Street West, Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

THE SQUARE IS OPEN AT ALL TIMES, FREE, ALL YEAR - it is a public space with no gate. THE SKATING RINK RUNS ROUGHLY LATE NOVEMBER TO EARLY MARCH depending on the weather, is FREE TO SKATE, and has SKATE RENTAL AVAILABLE ON SITE for a modest fee during posted hours. CITY HALL ITSELF is a working municipal building open on weekdays during business hours; the ground floor and the rotunda can be walked into, and COUNCIL MEETINGS ARE OPEN TO THE PUBLIC from the gallery when council is sitting. THE GREEN ROOF AND PODIUM have limited seasonal access. The Toronto sign is lit nightly and is free. Queen station is a short walk and the 501 Queen streetcar stops directly outside. The farmers' market, festivals and the winter market all run on their own seasonal schedules.

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