Ontario Legislative Building

The Ontario Legislative Building (French: L'édifice de l'Assemblée législative de l'Ontario) is an important building in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is where the Legislative Assembly of Ontario meets, and it also has special rooms for the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario and offices for members of the provincial parliament, who are called MPPs.

The building stands in an area called Queen's Park, which is south of Wellesley Street. This land used to belong to King's College, and later became part of the University of Toronto. In 1859, the municipal government of Toronto rented this land from the university for a very small amount – just CAD$1 each year – for 999 years. Later, the southern part of this land was given to the provincial government to use for the building.

Both the building and the provincial government are often called "Queen's Park" as a short way to refer to them.

Architecture

The building's exterior is defined by its characteristic pink-hue sandstone.

Designed by Richard A. Waite, the Ontario Legislative Building is a large, five-storey building built in the Richardsonian Romanesque style. It has an iron frame covered with Canadian materials, such as bricks made by workers and pink sandstone from the Credit River valley and Orangeville, Ontario. The building features many stone carvings, large windows, and two domed towers.

Inside, there is a central hall that leads to a grand staircase. The east wing has dark wood panelling in a Victorian style, while the west wing has white marble walls in an Edwardian style. The building also includes a special area for the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, with rooms for meetings and events.

History

The Ontario Legislative Building is the seventh building to serve as Ontario's parliament. The first meetings happened in Navy Hall or the Freemasons Hall in Newark (now Niagara-on-the-Lake) in 1791.

The first dedicated parliament buildings were at Front and Parliament Streets in York (now Toronto). The first one was used from 1794 to 1813. A second building was used from 1820 to 1824. Both were destroyed by fire.

In 1832, a new building was built on Front Street. It was used until 1840 when Ontario joined Lower Canada. Later, Toronto became the capital of Ontario in 1867, and the legislature returned to Front Street.

By 1880, plans began for a new building at Queen's Park. Construction started in 1886, and the building opened in 1893. It cost about CA$1,250,000. The old building on Front Street was later demolished.

In the early 2010s, the building needed repairs. Problems included old wiring, poor ventilation, and unsafe water. Plans to renovate began in 2023, but moving everyone out will take many years and cost over a billion dollars. The building may not close for renovation until at least 2028.

Locations and structures at a glance
Years	Location	Building & notes
1792-1796	Newark	Various mentioned, including: the Anchorage Freemanson's Hall Navy Hall
1796-1813	Town of York (until 1834) Toronto	Palace of Parliament Front and Parliament Sts.
1814 (once)		Jordan's York Holel Between King and Front Sts.
1815-1820		The Lawn Wellington and York Sts.
1820-1824		Upper Canada's Second Parliament Building Same location as Palace of Parliament
1825-1828		The later York General Hospital King and Hospital Sts.
1829-1832		The former Court House Bordered by King/Church/Court/Toronto Sts.
1832-1840		First Ontario Parliament Buildings (third for Upper Canada) Bordered by Front/John/Simcoe/Wellington Sts.
1841-1843	Kingston	Government House (Alwington House)
1844-1849	Montreal	Government House (the Monklands)
1849-1851	Toronto	First Ontario Parliament Buildings
1852-1855	Quebec City	Government House (Maison Sewell)
1855·1859	Toronto	First Ontario Parliament Buildings
1859·1866	Quebec City	Government House (Maison Sewell)
1861-1892	Toronto	First Ontario Parliament Buildings
1892·1964	Toronto	Queen's Park Building
Froman, Debra, ed. (1984). "Parliament Buildings". Niagara-on-the-Lake Official residence of LG Simcoe Destroyed on 27 April 1813 by arson by American soldiers Present day location of Toronto Sun Building Personal residence of Chief Justice William Henry Draper Destroyed by accidental fire on 30 December 1824 Structure located further northwest (King and Berkeley) Consequently delay the opening of the hospital Present day Richmond Street South of present day location of the Courthouse Square Park Present day location of Metro Hall/CBC Broadcasting Centre Destroyed later by fire in 1958 and demolished Still standing, not to be confused with the Quebec's former Government House, known as Spencer Wood, which did not serve as Government House until 1870

Security

The Ontario Legislative Building has a special security team called the Legislative Protective Service. Their job is to keep everyone safe inside the building. Some of these officers carry handguns to help protect the building and the people inside.

Visitors must go through a screening area before they can enter the building. This helps make sure everyone is safe. The security officers watch over members of the government, workers, and all visitors to keep the building secure.