A competition was
launched in 1958 to find an appropriate
design for Toronto's fourth City Hall. A
total of 520 designs were received from 42
different countries. The winning design,
entered by the Finnish architect Viljo
Revell, called for twin towers curving
around a circular council chamber raised
up on a platform.
The towers are of unequal height.
The east tower is 27-storeys high and the
west tower is 20-storeys high. The
concrete towers have a ribbed surface
designed to protect it from the affects of
the weather and the winds off the
lake.
Unfortunately the architect died of a
heart attack months before the building
was completed.
City Hall is located in Nathan Phillips
Square in the heart of downtown
Toronto. The square features a
reflecting pool and fountains. The
pool becomes an outdoor skating rink in
winter.
The square is also a venue for public
events. When these images were taken
in the Fall of 2013 an art installation by
Ai Weiwei called "Forever Bicycles" was
the attraction, as part of
"Scotiabank Nuit Blanche". His
sculpture featured 3,144 bicycles arranged
into an installation that measured 100
feet by 30 feet.
The older building on
the left of the image below, with the
clock tower, is the former City Hall.
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