Ghosts’ stories, true crime, architectural wonders and a wedding chamber. Old City Hall has the makings of an amazing destination

Article published in the "Toronto Star" March 21, 2025

By Cathy Schaffter, Contributor

Grassroots Torontonians saved Old City Hall in the 1960s when the T. Eaton Company (R.I.P. 1999) wanted to tear it down to build an office complex. Even Toronto City Council sided with Eaton’s back then. Yet a group of citizens called Friends of Old City Hall campaigned to save this landmark for future generations, for us.

Today, Old City Hall needs saving once again — not from destruction but irrelevancy. 

I worked as a court reporter — the kind that preserves court proceedings — from 2013 to 2023 in Ontario criminal courts when they were housed in Old City Hall. When city council voted in 2018 to transform the building, I started getting twitchy about the lack of fundraising going on for this massive project. So, in 2021, I created a website named for the original protectors — Friends of Old City Hall — with the idea of kicking off a fundraising endeavour.

Old City Hall is a late Victorian masterpiece with a fascinating history. Since the city is spending $16 million to keep Old City Hall from rotting and to do yet more analysis, I thought why not keep this national historic site open to the public with a series of guided tours lead by volunteers? The city’s museum and heritage services division has the structure to train and manage an army of volunteer guides to allow citizens and tourists access to this resplendent architecture and the stories it holds.

Tour No. 1 would be exclusive to 2025: “Old City Hall in the Raw.” After municipal courts leave in May, there will be a one-time opportunity to see it empty: from graffiteed holding cells to the dusty attic and through its warrens of back rooms. Rare peeks into the unknown often capture the sensibilities of the curious which is where innovation so often begins. When a library, cafes etc. move in, visitors will no longer be able to see these once forbidden spaces when they are needed for staff work areas and storage.

Later tours might include: “True Crimes: Famous Trials of Old City Hall” drawn from 124 years of legal history. An “Art, Architecture and Restorations” tour can identify how the city has already spent millions on cleaning the building’s exterior, making it accessible and replacing gargoyles which were taken down in 1938 — plus how much more needs to be done. A “Ghost” tour will tell some very sad, shocking stories.

As hundreds of locals and tourists pour through Old City Hall, pop-up shops can offer Toronto-centric merchandise from Toronto History Museums, the TTC and the Spacing Store. I have posted my own ideas for reproductions based on antique Toronto commercial art at www.caribouconcepts.ca.

Old City Hall’s large courtyard can provide parking for busloads of schoolchildren and tour groups, limousines for weddings and trucks for deliveries.

To see inside Old City Hall is to value it. Potential shop owners and restaurateurs will be able to case the joint. I hope there’s a pop-up cafe to refresh people after their tours. Eventually, the first three floors can become a space for visitors to explore (with some rooms and upper floors closed except during tours or events). I hope these floors include free galleries of the museum of Toronto because as Councillor Stephen Holyday said in 2018, “Ask yourself how many people would pay $16 to go in and look at artifacts that we’ve got?”

Turning Old City Hall into a year-round destination will do more than benefit surrounding downtown businesses, it will be a morale booster for this city and country: a symbol of Toronto’s past and its future hopes and ambitions. Its sheer size can allow it to become the city’s “great living room,” as architect Eric Rodrigues envisioned: “a vibrant, mixed-use space that brings together the best of Toronto.” 

Skaters at adjacent Nathan Phillips Square can come in for hot chocolate. Downtowners will appreciate a new library branch. Couples who’ve just signed the registry in the weddings office can descend the grand staircase into the entry hall to the applause of bystanders — a new tradition! Wedding guests will be able to chill out at a bar with a great view while photos are being taken on a spiral staircase. 

But of course, Old City Hall won’t be “free” to run. All the more reason for major contributions by civic-minded Torontonians of all income brackets. I am emboldened by Councillor Josh Matlow’s proposed creation of a foundation to receive charitable donations to raise the $226 million required for Old City Hall’s transformation. If Friends of Old City Hall is acceptable as a name, my website and domain name are ready for the cause.

Clearly, there is much more to discuss about Old City Hall’s future, but it is certainly bright.

Cathy Schaffter was a court reporter in the Ontario criminal courts in Old City Hall until retirement in 2023. She wants to be an OCH tour guide.