Toronto’s Old City Hall was home to its city council from 1899 to 1966 and remains one of the city’s most prominent structures. It is at the corner of Queen and Bay Streets, east of the new City Hall in the centre of downtown Toronto. It has a distinctive clock tower which heads the length of Bay Street from Front St. to Queen.
Old City Hall was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1984.
Work on the Romanesque Revival building designed by E.J. Lennox began in 1889. It was constructed of sandstone from the Credit River valley, grey stone from the Orangeville area, and brown stone from New Brunswick. The rugged, towering façade is cliff-like.