Civic Symbol: Creating Toronto's New City Hall, 1952-1966
© 2015
When Toronto’s New City Hall opened in 1965, it was an iconic modernist symbol for what was still a sedate and conservative city. Its futuristic design by Finnish architect Viljo Revell, composed of two curved towers flanking a clam-shaped council chamber, remains as strange and distinctive today as it did fifty years ago.
In Civic Symbol, Christopher Armstrong chronicles the complex and controversial development of this urban landmark from the initial international competition to the many debates that surrounded its construction and furnishing. Armstrong catalogs the many twists and turns along the path from idea to reality for the extraordinary building that Frank Lloyd Wright claimed future generations would say “marks the spot where Toronto fell.” Lavishly illustrated with contemporary photographs, plans, and drawings, Civic Symbol is the essential history of this iconic Canadian building.
Product Details
- World Rights
- Page Count: 224 pages
- Illustrations: 88
- Dimensions: 9.3in x 0.8in x 10.3in
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Reviews
“In Civic Symbol, the story of New City Hall's creation gets the book-length treatment it merits. Filled with fascinating stories and photographs, and based on exhaustive research, Civic Symbol is an important book about an important building.”
Mark Osbaldeston, author of 'Unbuilt Toronto: A History of the City That Might Have Been' -
Author Information
Christopher Armstrong is a professor emeritus in the Department of History at York University and the author or co-author of ten books.
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Table of contents
Introduction
Chapter 1: Beginnings
Chapter 2: Competition
Chapter 3: Winner
Chapter 4: Construction
Chapter 5: Furnishings
Chapter 6: Opening
Chapter 7: Coda
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Prizes
Award of Merit awarded by Heritage Toronto - Winner in 2016 -
Subjects and Courses
