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The Ontario Legislative Building () is a structure in central
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. It houses the
Legislative Assembly of Ontario The Legislative Assembly of Ontario (OLA; ) is the legislative chamber of the Canadian province of Ontario. Its elected members are known as Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs). Bills passed by the Legislative Assembly are given royal as ...
, and the viceregal suite of the
Lieutenant Governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...
and offices for members of the provincial parliament (MPPs). The building is surrounded by Queen's Park, sitting on that part south of Wellesley Street, which is the former site of King's College (later the
University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
), which was leased from the university by the
municipal government of Toronto The municipal government of Toronto (Municipal corporation, incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the city of Toronto in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. ...
in 1859, for a " peppercorn" payment of CAD$1 per annum on a 999-year term. The southern portion of the site was later handed over to the provincial government. The building and the provincial government are both often referred to by the
metonym Metonymy () is a figure of speech in which a concept is referred to by the name of something associated with that thing or concept. For example, the word "wikt:suit, suit" may refer to a person from groups commonly wearing business attire, such ...
"Queen's Park".


Architecture


Exterior

Designed by Richard A. Waite, the Ontario Legislative Building is an
asymmetrical Asymmetry is the absence of, or a violation of, symmetry (the property of an object being invariant to a transformation, such as reflection). Symmetry is an important property of both physical and abstract systems and it may be displayed in pre ...
, five-storey structure built in the
Richardsonian Romanesque Richardsonian Romanesque is a architectural style, style of Romanesque Revival architecture named after the American architect Henry Hobson Richardson (1838–1886). The revivalism (architecture), revival style incorporates 11th- and 12th-century ...
style, with a load-bearing iron frame. This is clad inside and out in Canadian materials where possible; the 10.5 million bricks were made by inmates of the Central Prison, and the Ontario sandstone—with a pink hue that has earned the building the colloquial name of ''The Pink Palace''—comes from the
Credit River The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario, which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment near Orangeville and Caledon East to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately . The total l ...
valley and Orangeville, Ontario, and was given a rustic finish for most of the exterior, but dressed for trim around windows and other edges. There can also be seen over the edifice a multitude of stone carvings, including
gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed Grotesque (architecture), grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from ...
s,
grotesques Since at least the 18th century (in French and German, as well as English), grotesque has come to be used as a general adjective for the strange, mysterious, magnificent, fantastic, hideous, ugly, incongruous, unpleasant, or disgusting, and thus ...
, and
frieze In classical architecture, the frieze is the wide central section of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic order, Ionic or Corinthian order, Corinthian orders, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Patera (architecture), Paterae are also ...
s. The exterior is punctuated with uncharacteristically large windows, allowed by the nature of the iron structure. The 1909 North Wing was built by noted Toronto architect George Wallace Gouinlock and
E.J. Lennox Edward James Lennox (September 12, 1854 – April 15, 1933) was a Toronto-based architect who designed several of the city's most notable landmarks in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, including Old City Hall (Toronto), Old City ...
added two floors to the west wing. The main
façade A façade or facade (; ) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loanword from the French language, French (), which means "frontage" or "face". In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important asp ...
fronts south, with the central axis of the building an extension of that for University Avenue, meaning that the Legislative Building creates a terminating vista for the north end of that main thoroughfare. The Legislative Chamber is directly on this axis, in the centre of the building, and is lit by the three large and prominent arched windows above the main
portico A portico is a porch leading to the entrance of a building, or extended as a colonnade, with a roof structure over a walkway, supported by columns or enclosed by walls. This idea was widely used in ancient Greece and has influenced many cu ...
. This block is flanked by two domed towers, the west of which was originally intended to hold a clock, but was fitted with a
rose window Rose window is often used as a generic term applied to a circular window, but is especially used for those found in Gothic cathedrals and churches. The windows are divided into segments by stone mullions and tracery. The term ''rose window'' wa ...
instead, after funds for the clock were never amassed. The asymmetry of the south face was not originally as strong as it is at present; the west wing was designed to have three storeys under a
pyramid A pyramid () is a structure whose visible surfaces are triangular in broad outline and converge toward the top, making the appearance roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be of any polygon shape, such as trian ...
al roof, as the east wing is still formed nowadays. After the fire of 1909, however, the west side of the Legislative Building was repaired and expanded, with an added fourth floor that bears wall dormer windows in a long,
gable A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of intersecting roof pitches. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system used, which reflects climate, material availability, and aesth ...
d roof. At the far termini of the east–west axis, the wings each turn at right angles and extend north, enclosing a three-sided courtyard, in which sits the 1909 block, a free-standing, four storey structure that is rectangular in plan.


Interior

Inside, a central hall runs between the main entrance at the south and a grand staircase directly opposite, from the mid-landing of which is accessed the parliamentary library in the 1909 block. At the top landing of this stair is the lobby of the legislative chamber, with the door to which centrally aligned in the south wall. From this core, wide corridors extend east and west, each bisected by a long and narrow atrium lined with ornate railings; the east wing is decorated more in the Victorian fashion in which it was built, with dark wood panelling, while the west wing corridor is more
Edwardian In the United Kingdom, the Edwardian era was a period in the early 20th century that spanned the reign of King Edward VII from 1901 to 1910. It is commonly extended to the start of the First World War in 1914, during the early reign of King Ge ...
Neoclassical in style, the walls lined with white marble, and reflecting the time in which it was built. To the south of the Legislative Building is an open area with extensive tree cover, which is often used for public gatherings and demonstrations. The provincial ministries are housed in the separate
Ontario Government Buildings The Macdonald Block Complex is a set of office buildings in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that houses 12 cabinet ministers, 15 Ontario government ministries (as of 2016) and the largest concentration of Ontario public servants. Its address is 900 Ba ...
complex to the east, including the Macdonald complex (composed of the Hearst, Mowat, Ferguson and Hepburn towers) and the
Whitney Block The Whitney Block is a Government of Ontario office building located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located across the street from the Ontario Legislative Building, and contains the offices of the premier of Ontario and most cabinet ministe ...
. The building is featured on both the front and back covers of Rush's 1981 album '' Moving Pictures''.


Lieutenant Governor's Suite

At the north-west corner of the building is the Lieutenant Governor's Suite, which has housed the office of the
lieutenant governor of Ontario The lieutenant governor of Ontario (, in French: ''Lieutenant-gouverneur'' (if male) or ''Lieutenante-gouverneure'' (if female) ''de l'Ontario'') is the representative in Ontario of the monarch, who operates distinctly within the province but i ...
since 1937, when the provincial Crown sold its Government House to the federal Crown-in-Council. The space was previously used as the Cabinet dining room and the speaker's apartment. The suite is a three-storey complex, with its own ceremonial stairway and elevator entrances, where members of the Canadian royal family and visiting dignitaries are greeted. A rose garden, donated by the
Monarchist League of Canada The Monarchist League of Canada () is a Canadian nonprofit monarchist advocacy organization."Who We Are"< ...
in honour of the
Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II The Silver Jubilee of Elizabeth II marked the Silver jubilee, 25th anniversary of the accession of Queen Elizabeth II on 6 February 1952. It was celebrated with large-scale parties and parades throughout the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth ...
in 1977, and added to for the Golden and Diamond Jubilees, sits across the driveway from the suite's entrance portico. Inside are reception rooms, a state dining room, staff offices, and a kitchen, arranged around a central stair hall. The furnishings and chandeliers throughout the suite came from the last government house, Chorley Park, and paintings from the Government of Ontario Art Collection and the Toronto Public Library. The suite is also home to portraits of some past lieutenant governors (including a large rendition of Upper Canada's first lieutenant governor,
John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...
, painted by Edmund Wyly Grier and on loan from the Toronto Public Library), as well as of
Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...
, Queen of Canada, and
Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (born Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, later Philip Mountbatten; 10 June 19219 April 2021), was the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. As such, he was the consort of the British monarch from h ...
. Special art exhibitions are also commissioned from time to time. The Music Room is the largest space in the viceregal suite and is the site of New Years' levées, swearing-in ceremonies for cabinet ministers, and presentations of, and investitures for, provincial honours.


History


Early structures

The present Ontario Legislative Building is the seventh such structure to serve as Ontario's parliament building. Either Navy Hall or the Freemasons Hall in Newark,
Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada () was a Province, part of The Canadas, British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the Province of Queb ...
(today
Niagara-on-the-Lake Niagara-on-the-Lake is a town in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Niagara Peninsula at the point where the Niagara River meets Lake Ontario, across the river from New York (state), New York, United States. Niagara-on-the-Lake is in the R ...
, Ontario), served as the first
legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of the people therein. They are often contrasted with the executive and judicial power ...
, where the initial meeting of the House of Assembly occurred on 17 September 1791. Only three years later, however, construction began on a dedicated parliament building in
York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...
(now Toronto), as it was felt by
Lieutenant Governor A lieutenant governor, lieutenant-governor, or vice governor is a high officer of state, whose precise role and rank vary by jurisdiction. Often a lieutenant governor is the deputy, or lieutenant, to or ranked under a governor — a "second-in-comm ...
John Graves Simcoe Lieutenant-General (United Kingdom), Lieutenant-General John Graves Simcoe (25 February 1752 – 26 October 1806) was a British army officer, politician and colonial administrator who served as the lieutenant governor of Upper Canada from 1791 u ...
that the presence of a provincial capital directly across the border from the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
was too great a risk, especially as the relations between the US and Britain were then tense. By June the complex, located at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets, was completed, and the humble wood structures were dubbed the ''Palace of Parliament'' (The structure resembled two military barracks). The relocation to York did not ensure the protection of the capital, however, and the Palace of Parliament was destroyed by fire on 27 April 1813, as a consequence of an attack on the city in the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. The House of Assembly then met once in the ballroom of the York Hotel (between
King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...
and Front Streets), and regularly, from then until 1820, at the home of Chief Justice of the Court of the King's Bench William Henry Draper, which was located at the present intersection of Wellington and York Streets. The new parliament buildings was a two-storey
Georgian architecture Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1714 and 1830. It is named after the first four Monarchy of the United Kingdom, British monarchs of the House of Han ...
structure, put up on the site of the previous structure, stood only for four years, succumbing to an accidental fire on 30 December 1824. From then until 1829, the House of Assembly gathered at the newly built York General Hospital, located on the south-east corner of the block bounded by King, Adelaide,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, and Peter Streets; a move that delayed the hospital's opening until the legislative body moved on to the old Court House, which stood on the north side of King Street, between Toronto and Church Streets.


First Ontario Parliament Buildings

In 1832, a new structure was built on Front Street, west of Simcoe Street, and served continuously as the third parliament building of Upper Canada until the province was united with
Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada () was a British colonization of the Americas, British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence established in 1791 and abolished in 1841. It covered the southern portion o ...
in 1840, after which the joined assembly was relocated by the then
Governor General Governor-general (plural governors-general), or governor general (plural governors general), is the title of an official, most prominently associated with the British Empire. In the context of the governors-general and former British colonies, ...
, Charles Poulett Thomson, Baron Sydenham, to the general hospital building in
Kingston Kingston may refer to: Places * List of places called Kingston, including the six most populated: ** Kingston, Jamaica ** Kingston upon Hull, England ** City of Kingston, Victoria, Australia ** Kingston, Ontario, Canada ** Kingston upon Thames, ...
. The House of Assembly moved in and out of the Front Street building over the ensuing years, relocating for brief periods to
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
and
Quebec City Quebec City is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Census Metropolitan Area (including surrounding communities) had a populati ...
, even at one point adopting a perambulation system that saw parliament relocate between Toronto and Quebec every four years. With mounting displeasure over the transient nature of the Canadian parliament, and an inability on the part of politicians to agree as to where to locate the legislative building,
Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until Death and state funeral of Queen Victoria, her death in January 1901. Her reign of 63 year ...
was asked to make a selection; over all the other cities in the Province of Canada, she chose
Bytown Bytown is the former name of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It was founded on September 26, 1826, incorporated as a town on January 1, 1850, and superseded by the incorporation of the City of Ottawa on January 1, 1855. The founding was marked by a sod ...
(later Ottawa) in 1857. Today, the site of the first parliament buildings in York is a parking lot for a car wash, a car rental company and a car dealership. Archaeological excavations at the site in 2000 undercovered evidence of the buildings. Subsequently, the property was bought by the
Ontario Heritage Trust The Ontario Heritage Trust () is a non-profit agency of the Ontario Ministry of Tourism and Culture. It is responsible for protecting, preserving and promoting the built, natural and cultural heritage of Canada's most populous province, Ontario. ...
which operated a Parliament Interpretive Centre at the site from 2012 to 2015. The dig was covered up to await future plans for the site. On 1 July 1867, however, the province joined with two others in
confederation A confederation (also known as a confederacy or league) is a political union of sovereign states united for purposes of common action. Usually created by a treaty, confederations of states tend to be established for dealing with critical issu ...
and was split into the present-day provinces of Ontario and
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, meaning that new legislatures were established for each of the two new provincial entities. Toronto was chosen as the capital of the former, and the legislative assembly moved back to the same Front Street property that had been home to the House of Assembly for the Province of Canada, despite the structure having been damaged by fire in 1861 and 1862.


Queen's Park Building

By 1880, a request was made for designs for a new parliament building for the province of Ontario, and, when none of the entries was found to be less than , the legislature approved during 1885 a budget of for the chosen scheme by Richard A. Waite. Construction then commenced in 1886, and the Ontario Legislative Building was (though still incomplete) officially opened on 4 April 1893, by the then Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, George Airey Kirkpatrick. The final cost was tallied at approximately , and the design was criticised by some as "too American". This left the old parliament building on Front Street vacant, and it stood as such for nearly a decade before it was demolished from 1900 to 1903. The site was then sold to the
Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...
, which used the former parliamentary land for freight sheds and marshalling yards. The location is now occupied by the
Canadian Broadcasting Centre The Canadian Broadcasting Centre, also known as the Toronto Broadcast Centre, is an office and studio complex located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It serves as the main broadcast and master control centre for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporati ...
, a public square, and a number of high-rise buildings. With an increasing population in the province, it became necessary in 1909 to add a wing to the north side of the Ontario Legislative Building, enclosing the courtyard. As construction was underway, on 1 September men repairing galvanised roofing on the west wing accidentally sparked a fire that eventually destroyed the interior of that part of the edifice, including the legislative library. It then took until 1912 for repairs and reconstructions to be made, and the new wing to be completed. Further expansions of the parliamentary infrastructure were from then on built across the east side of Queen's Park Crescent, with the Whitney Block built in 1925, the Macdonald and Hepburn Blocks completed in 1968, the Mowat and Hearst Blocks in 1969.


State of Disrepair, Planned Renovation and Decanting Process

In the early 2010s, a report found that the building and its infrastructure were in need of repair. Since its construction in 1893, the Main Legislative Building has "only undergone piecemeal repairs" and upgrades, leaving "critical building systems...at risk of total failure" according to Government Press Releases. The infrastructure issues within the building include poor ventilation, the widespread presence of
asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...
, not enough emergency exits to comply with fire codes, undrinkable tap water due to lead pipes, exposed wiring, and "mechanical systems that are close to, or already, failing." There are also not enough "sprinkler systems, and unprotected openings in the ceilings and walls could allow smoke and fire to easily spread between floors." In order to fix the "hazardous and severely deficient" conditions within the Main Legislative Building, a renovation requiring the full decamp of the staff and MPPs who currently work within the Legislative Building to an alternate location (similar to the renovation currently underway at Parliament Hill in Ottawa) is being planned, with a projected timeline of 10 years to complete once started and at a projected cost of more than a billion dollars. In March 2023, the Queen's Park Restoration Secretariat was created by the governing Progressive Conservative Government to lead this planning, working with the Legislature's Procedure and House Affairs Committee. However, the plans to temporarily and completely close the building have been slowed by the problems inherent to the building's role, location, and historical significance. It has been estimated that any alternative site chosen must have at least 500,000 square feet of space to house the hundreds of offices which are currently within the Legislative Building, not to mention an additional 5,000 square feet of space to house the Legislative Chamber where MPPs meet to debate. Not only that, but the temporary lodgings will need to remain in the Downtown Area, as various Ministry and Ontario Government Offices are scattered in buildings throughout the area around Queen's Park, including but not limited to the
Whitney Block The Whitney Block is a Government of Ontario office building located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located across the street from the Ontario Legislative Building, and contains the offices of the premier of Ontario and most cabinet ministe ...
, which is directly adjacent to the Legislative Building, and the Macdonald Block, which is currently in the midst of its own 1.5 billion dollar renovation which is behind schedule. Moreover, a portion of the TTC's Line 1 Subway runs directly under the Legislative Building and Grounds, and there is presumed to be "abandoned and unknown" infrastructure that lies below the building. Finally, the building's history means there are a "multitude of exterior considerations for the project." There are more than 30 statues, monuments and plaques on the grounds, as well as three Japanese cherry trees, which were a gift from the Japanese Consulate in Toronto in 2005. Due to these issues, the original goal of closing the building for the renovation by 2026 has been pushed back to at least 2028, and the former Minister formerly in charge of the project was quoted in March 2024 saying "the more you dig into it, the more comes up." According to a member of the Legislature's Procedure and House Affairs Committee involved in the planning of the renovation, a potential temporary relocation site has been identified and negotiations are underway, though the potential location has been kept secret.


Security

Security within the Legislative grounds is provided by the Legislative Protective Service (LPS), under the direction of the Sergeant-at-Arms. In 2016, in response to the 2014 Parliament Hill Attack, then-Speaker Dave Levac announced the establishment of an Armed Response Unit within the Legislative Security Service (the precursor to the LPS), and some members were armed with handguns. At present, the LPS consists of Protective Service Officers and Peace Officers who provide a full range of in-house security services to the Legislative Precinct. Protective Service Officers are detection and screening specialists who maintain a safe and secure environment within the Legislative Precinct and ensure that all visitors are screened before entering. Peace Officers of the LPS are responsible for the safety and security of MPPs, Legislative Assembly employees, visitors to the Legislature and the Precinct itself. LPS Peace Officers are armed and have full policing powers, enabling them to enforce legislation such as the ''Highway Traffic Act'', the ''Provincial Offences Act'', and the ''Criminal Code of Canada,'' and are subject to the mandate of the Special Investigations Unit. In early 2021, a new Visitors' Centre located at the southwest side of the Assembly building was completed, acting as a single, accessible point of entry for all visitors to be screened before entering the building.


See also

* First Ontario Parliament Buildings * List of oldest buildings and structures in Toronto


References


External links


Legislative Assembly of Ontario Web site

Virtual tour of the Lieutenant Governor's suite

History of Ontario's Legislative Buildings (Government of Ontario site)


* ttp://archindont.torontopubliclibrary.ca/typeinfo.asp?TypeID=108&BuildingType=Legislative+Buildings Provincial Parliament Buildings (2nd){dead link, date=January 2018 , bot=InternetArchiveBot , fix-attempted=yes
York Hotel-Toronto Sun

Report on ASI archaeological dig: Upper Canada's first parliament buildings: A place of hopes and dreams By Ronald F. Williamson

Legislative Protective Service Website
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