A friend of mine described the delight of sipping coffee at a cafe by a Spanish square (zocalo) and people-watching as wedding parties went in and out of a municipal building and other locals went about their everyday lives nearby.
I like to imagine the grand entrance hall of OCH becoming something like a year-round, weather-protected square where people cross paths on their ways to many different pleasant goals: learning from tours or museum exhibits, shopping in unique Toronto stores or rushing to meet friends in dining establishments or at special events.
Writing in the "Toronto Star" (February 15, 2025), architect Eric Rodrigues envisioned Old City Hall as the city's great living room: "a vibrant, mixed use space that brings together the best of Toronto".
If an early TTC trolley (or its replica) is parked in the hall, everyone will stop for selfies or group photos.
In winter, skaters might come from Nathan Phillips Square to sip hot chocolate (dairy or vegan versions). In summer, OCH will be a cool (in all senses), free place to visit, with cold drinks of all kinds on offer.
Meanwhile, formally dressed people will raise the tone of the hall as they come and go from wedding receptions. Every once in a while, spontaneous clapping will erupt in the entry hall as a beaming, joyous, newly married couple descends the grand staircase and strangers show their approval. It's a future tradition! (Shyer couples can take other stairs.) Tourists snap pictures. And one day, a perfect stranger catches a flying bouquet!!!
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