Photographing the Ontario Legislature and Queen’s Park Toronto during Doors Open
Article by Crystle Sequeira / Additional writing by Mike Simpson
We often host the community at our events including walks at Queens’ Park and U of T. Join our photography meetups and tours! Register at tdot.com/events
Have you been to Queen’s Park? It’s both the parliament of Ontario (Toronto is the capital) and a large park in the centre of the city. Please read on for a virtual tour of the building and a gallery of shots from the expansive grounds and adjacent park.
Queen’s Park is a large park in downtown Toronto, and home to the Ontario legislative building which is the provincial parliament. It’s a grand old building in the Richardsonian Romanesque style, built in 1860 and named in honour of Queen Victoria. Situated just east of the University of Toronto campus, the park is home to many walking paths and sculptures, while the main building is home to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the Lieutenant Governor’s office, and offices for members of provincial parliament (MPPs). “Queen’s Park,” as an expression, is synonymous with both the Ontario Legislative Building and the Government of Ontario.
This building is open to the public on weekdays (Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m and Friday: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). You can find more information about it by heading over to their official website (https://www.ola.org/en). But it is also one of the many buildings that is open to the public for free as part of the yearly Doors Open Toronto event held by City of Toronto. I had the privilege of touring this building on May 28th, 2023.
Designed by Richard A. Waite, the outer exterior of the building has a characteristic pink-hue, defined by the sandstone used to build this monument. If you observe closely, you will find that the overall exterior of the building has a rustic finish, but the edges around the arches and windows are trimmed and sharp.
The Legislative Chamber is one of the most important chambers/sections of the building where the MPPs, during an assembly session, debate and pass laws.
The building has two wings; East wing and West wing. The east wing is built in dark wood panelling in a Victorian style and the west wing in white marble. This was due to a fire that destroyed the west side of the building.
For more photography and details please read on.
Photo Gallery
Images by Crystle Sequeira / Follow the photographer on Instagram: @crystlevs
Our thanks to you for reading and viewing these images, and to the author / photographer Crystle Sequeira aka @crystlevs
Resources and Links
Official website for Queen’s Park: https://www.ola.org/en/visit-learn/parliament-government/queens-park/explore-queens-park
Walking Tours
We love to walk and photograph the exterior, building grounds, and park. It’s a fabulous site for exploration of history and architecture. Bonus: it’s close to U of T aka the University of Toronto.
Are you interested in a tour of Queen’s Park? We offer a walking tour along with photo walks of the grounds and neighbouring park – one of the most beautiful and significant parts of downtown Toronto.
Check or our events website for organized tours and meetups or contact us to arrange a private walk.
