Queen's Park

In 1859, the city leased land here from King’s College, and in 1860 a park named after Queen Victoria was opened by the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. Queen’s Park was long considered as a location for new parliament buildings, and in 1879-80 their construction was authorized by the Ontario Legislature and city council and an inconclusive design competition was held. In 1886 the commission was awarded to Richard Waite of Buffalo, one of the adjudicators, a decision that generated considerable controversy among Ontario architects. The main block of the massive Romanesque Revival structure, with its towering legislative chamber, was completed in 1892, and on April 4, 1893, the first legislative session in Queen’s Park was opened under Premier Sir Oliver Mowat.

Ontario · Canada