Toronto Old City Hall
Richardsonian Romanesque courthouse with a soaring clock tower and grotesque carved faces mocking its own city council.
Location
About this audio guide
This guide to Toronto Old City Hall follows architect E.J. Lennox, who won the 1886 competition to design the building only to watch it run years over schedule and millions over budget. When council refused him even a plaque crediting his work, you'll hear how he responded in stone. Carved into the cornices and doorways are traces of that quarrel, including grotesque faces said to mock the councillors who crossed him. High above, the clock tower's original sandstone gargoyles crumbled with decades of Toronto weather before bronze replicas took their place.
This audio guide was created using AI.
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