Site of Canada's First Parliament Building
As noted on the City of Toronto website referenced below “The First Parliament site is located in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets. It is a full city block, bounded on the west by Berkeley Street and on the south by Parliament Square Park. Located in the heart of the former Town of York, the First Parliament site and the area around it are historically significant, representing the industrial and commercial forces that helped shape the city. “
The whole site is now, again, in public hands (City of Toronto and the Ontario Heritage Trust) and while the heritage of the First Parliament site is understood, much planning and consultation needs to be undertaken to determine how exactly the site will be used.
The First Parliament site has the potential to host a variety of public uses. So far, Toronto City Council has only committed to build a new Toronto District Library on the site. A new library will replace or supplement the existing St. Lawrence Public Library Branch. The new library building will have a floor area of about 2,400 square meters (25,000 square feet). That amount of space represents only a portion of the First Parliament site.
The City of Toronto is currently taking the lead in creating a Heritage Interpretation Strategy and a Master Plan. For details see:
https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/venues-facilities-bookings/booking-city-facilities/first-parliament-project/first-parliament-site/
The SLNA in general and the Heritage Committee in particular are participating in these discussions.
As noted on the City of Toronto website referenced below “The First Parliament site is located in downtown Toronto at the intersection of Front and Parliament Streets. It is a full city block, bounded on the west by Berkeley Street and on the south by Parliament Square Park. Located in the heart of the former Town of York, the First Parliament site and the area around it are historically significant, representing the industrial and commercial forces that helped shape the city. “
The whole site is now, again, in public hands (City of Toronto and the Ontario Heritage Trust) and while the heritage of the First Parliament site is understood, much planning and consultation needs to be undertaken to determine how exactly the site will be used.
The First Parliament site has the potential to host a variety of public uses. So far, Toronto City Council has only committed to build a new Toronto District Library on the site. A new library will replace or supplement the existing St. Lawrence Public Library Branch. The new library building will have a floor area of about 2,400 square meters (25,000 square feet). That amount of space represents only a portion of the First Parliament site.
The City of Toronto is currently taking the lead in creating a Heritage Interpretation Strategy and a Master Plan. For details see:
https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/venues-facilities-bookings/booking-city-facilities/first-parliament-project/first-parliament-site/
The SLNA in general and the Heritage Committee in particular are participating in these discussions.
