Choose Your Own Adventure – Toronto! Post 4:Downtown -- Architecture and Public Spaces

An ongoing series of ideas for how to spend your time in the city.

Post 4: Downtown -- Architecture and Public Spaces

Hop on the Yonge Street Subway line and get off at Dundas station. Head up to street level, just avoid the Eaton Centre entrance – or you’ll end up in the mall! At this intersection you’ll find Toronto’s version of downtown-bright-lights-big-city here at Yonge Dundas Square. Very recently completed, Yonge Dundas Square was developed to revitalize and reenergize downtown. The Square hosts all sorts of events throughout the year, provides respite from the summer heat with its dancing fountains and is a great place to do a nice slow 360 and take in the environment around you.

When you’ve had enough of the glitz, head south on Yonge Street and look for the big Roots store on the west side of the street in the Eaton Centre (the major shopping mall in downtown). Walk through the mall doors there and if you feel like a shop, go for it! Otherwise, cross through the mall to the doors on the opposite side into Trinity Square. The complete antithesis of Yonge Dundas Square, Trinity Square is quiet, special space great for taking a rest.


Next stop on this adventure are the Old and New City Hall buildings. Walk south to Queen street from Trinity Square and you’ll see Old City Hall (big, red, stone, clock tower) and New City Hall ( big, white, space ship looking). Designed by Edward James Lennox, Old City Hall is done in the Romanesque Revival style and stands in stark contrast to its New City Hall neighbor.

Designed by Viljo Revell in 1965, new City Hall was considered to be a breakthrough in Toronto architecture at the time, signaling that old stuffy and straight-laced Toronto had entered into a new, modern era. Feel free to walk up onto the catwalk that forms the perimeter of Nathan Phillips Square for a good view.

For a new take on what Modernism means to Toronto, keep walking west on
Queen and head north on McCaul Street. Hard to miss, you’ll see one of the City’s newest architectural attractions, Will Alsop’s Flying Tabletop, a bright and unexpected extension onto the Ontario College of Art Building. While you’re here, check out the nearly-completed addition to the Art Gallery of Ontario (just one building north of the Tabletop) by Frank Gehry.


Wrap up this adventure with a walk through Grange Park, backing onto the AGO and OCAD, and pop into Pages Book Store at 256 Queen Street ( M-F 9:30-10, Sat 10-10, Sun 11-8) and browse some of the best books, cards and magazines that this little independent book store has to offer (including a number of art, architecture and urban planning books!)