Osgoode Hall

There are three plaques about this building.
All can be seen on this page.

Photos by Alan L Brown - Posted March, 2004

Photo Source - Wikimedia Commons

This 178-year-old (as of 2010) massive building on Queen Street West has an Ontario Heritage Trust plaque out front which says:

Plaque coordinates: 43.651704 -79.385383

In 1829-32 the Law Society of Upper Canada erected the east wing of this imposing building. Named after William Osgoode, the province's first chief justice, the Regency structure housed law courts and judicial offices, and provided accommodation for lawyers and students. It was severely damaged during the six years in which provincial troops were stationed here following the Rebellion of 1837. Plans for its reconstruction were drawn up by Henry Bowyer Lane, an accomplished Toronto architect, and in 1844-46 the west and central portions were erected and the east wing remodelled. In 1857-60 the celebrated architectural firm of Cumberland and Storm rebuilt the centre section. Later extended and renovated, Osgoode Hall remains one of the finest examples of Victorian Classical architecture in Canada.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted September, 2006

Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted November, 2010

An Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada plaque has this to say:

Named after the province's first chief justice, Osgoode Hall was begun as the headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada in 1829. The east wing was built by 1832, with the centre and west wing being added between 1844 and 1846. The centre section was reconstructed in grand style from designs by the prominent Toronto architectural firm of Cumberland and Storm between 1856 and 1859. This edifice ranks among Canada's architectural and historical treasures. Osgoode Hall continues to house the Law Society, and has since 1846 been the seat of provincial superior courts.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted May, 2008

A plaque, apparently located here on Osgoode Hall's fence, appears to be missing. According to Heritage Toronto, it's a 1980 Toronto Historical Board plaque and the text of the plaque says:

The Osgoode Hall Fence and Gates were erected by the Law Society of Upper Canada in the mid-1860s. They were manufactured by the St. Lawrence Foundry of William Hamilton and Son, Toronto, using moulds from the Blochairn Foundry, Glasgow, Scotland. The beautifully designed "cow-gates" were constructed to keep out wandering cattle. For this reason, the fixed openings in the gates were made only 50 cm wide. An extensive restoration was completed in 1979 by the Law Society of Upper Canada.

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