Hi,

It is easy to discard something of substance when another option comes across our path. We see this happen at work, as well as when it comes to habits and relationships. We may only appreciate that which has true substance and value once it's gone, and keeping it usually requires someone willing to look stubborn.

On November 14, our ExperienceTO: Bay Street Historical Tour meets right outside Old City Hall.

When the building opened in September 1899, it was the tallest in Toronto. Architect E.J. Lennox designed a 104-metre clock tower aligned with the middle of Bay Street, along with heavy sandstone walls and rounded Romanesque arches. It took eleven years to build and ran more than a million dollars over budget. City council was so furious about the cost overruns that they refused to pay Lennox his full fee. In response, Lennox carved stone caricatures of the councillors' faces into the arches by the main entrance.

By 1965, the city moved into the new modernist City Hall next door. Almost immediately, Old City Hall looked obsolete to planners. T. Eaton Company proposed demolishing almost the entire building to make room for a massive shopping centre and office towers.

A group of residents and architects formed the Friends of Old City Hall to fight the proposal. At the height of the debate in October 1964, Toronto Daily Star columnist Robert Fulford pointed out the flaw in tearing down older buildings:
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He was right. T. Eaton Company dropped its demolition plans in 1967 and built around the site instead. In 1984, Old City Hall was named a National Historic Site. Last spring, after the provincial courts relocated to the new St. Lawrence Market North building, the city began planning to reopen the building as a public museum and cultural space.

Novelty may look attractive in the short run. But the things that last (including but not limited to historically significant buildings like Old City Hall) do so because someone decided they were worth defending and preserving for the next generation.

Thank you for taking the time to read and reflect.

Until next time,​
​Alex Rășcanu​
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P.S. If you'd like to read the past e-newsletters focused on life lessons, you can find them here.

P.P.S. See you at one of the upcoming monthly ExperienceTO historical tours, such as the Bay Street one on Saturday, November 14.