The future of one of Toronto’s most recognizable landmarks and most historic buildings has come into question, with the property presently on the precipice of long-term vacancy, and leaders having no idea, frankly, what to do with it.
Construction on the hulking Romanesque-style building now known as Old City Hall commenced a staggering 136 years ago and wrapped a decade later at 60 Queen Street West, an address that has, over its lengthy tenure, predominantly served as home to city council and then a courthouse.
But, the provincial government is vacating the premises in springtime, leaving the heritage-designated structure barren — and the City has no plan, nor funds, to do much else with it other than attempt to keep it from falling into disrepair.
Staff confirm Old City Hall will be totally vacant as of May 1 as the courts move over to St. Lawrence North, but there’s still some maintenance money in the city budget to — hopefully — make sure the building doesn’t totally fall apart during its period of disuse.
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) February 5, 2025
Though its sandstone, gargoyle-guarded exterior has long captivated passersby and its clock tower has defined iconic views up Bay Street for over a century, Old City Hall couldn’t be leased for “a single dollar,” some local representatives said during city council’s discussion about the site this week.
Ward 2 Etobicoke Councillor Stephen Holyday, in particular, bemoaned the burden of the building, stating on Tuesday that the building should be offloaded to a private entity, lest it become “the most expensive space in [the City’s] portfolio.”
One of his peers cited the potential costs as “a kazillion dollars.” But, others were more adamant about properly preserving the historically significant property, adopting a report on the building as the City awaits a later report on options for future uses.
Matlow says he’s worried that Old City Hall could be “lost” if City doesn’t take urgent action. “Toronto has already had a shameful history at losing some of the great masterpieces of architecture that we should have valued and maintained over the years.”
— Matt Elliott (@GraphicMatt) February 5, 2025
“Built between 1889 and 1899, OCH is an example of historic civic architecture; a widely recognized city landmark at the junction of Bay and Queen Streets; and an expression of Toronto’s civic identity,” the report reads.
“While OCH is a unique and important City landmark, it does present challenges for revitalization and future uses given the historic and complex nature of the building…. the opportunity to improve the leasable area of the building is limited to due a range of factors, although staff will continue to examine options such as using the courtyard space and attic as ways to maximize rentable area.”
One much-talked-about possibility is converting at least part of the building into a City of Toronto museum and/or library space, which City Hall pundit Matt Elliott notes “are challenged by the simple matter of having no money.”
Old City Hall shouldn’t be abandoned. With thousands of artifacts that tell our city’s stories hidden away in warehouses, it’s time to share them with the public, and for this historic building to finally become the Museum of Toronto. https://t.co/OBy7bS2Cq8 pic.twitter.com/KC36PvVhOo
— Josh Matlow (@JoshMatlow) February 6, 2025
Whatever its future may look like, the building is indeed going to cost a significant chunk of money not just to adequately maintain, but to adapt and renovate — some $230 million, the City estimates, which could hopefully be at least partially funded by the private sector.
“No matter what we do, we need to keep it as historic, as beautiful as it is now,” Olivia Chow told reporters on the matter in late January. But, she added, “it costs a phenomenal amount of money to upkeep it and change its use.”
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