Inside City Hall

With another round of municipal elections completed this past week, I thought about getting more involved in the community. That's when it dawned on me that despite living in this city for almost 20 years, I've never been inside Toronto's "New" City Hall. That changed today when I popped in for a quick look.

New City Hall was designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and his team: Bengt Lundsten, Seppo Valjus and Heikki Castren. Working together with Toronto architects John B. Parkin & Associates, the building was completed in 1965. Although considered by some to be too futuristic at the time, the design continues to feel modern in 2010.

The staircase radiates a distinctly Finnish aesthetic

with its gleaming teak & mahogany railings:

The stunning floors were cut in Canada
from imported Italian Carrara marble:

This nail relief sculpture is one of several
public art installations at City Hall.
"Metropolis" by David Partridge, 1977:

The copper nails at the core of the piece
represent the heart of the city:

More than 100,000 nails comprise the sculptural mural:

The handles of the double front doors
cleverly form a capital letter T:

All photos by Pamela Graham for CherishToronto.