Shaping Canadian Modernity: The 1958 City Hall and Square Competition and its Legacy

Daily:  10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m

The Paul H. Cocker gallery will feature an exhibit entitled Shaping Canadian Modernity from September 1 to October 9, 2015. The exhibit focuses on the 1958 international competition for the Toronto City Hall and Square and critically assesses its impact on Canadian architectural culture. The exhibition presents a selection of competition entries and features the eight finalists, including the winning scheme by Finnish architect Viljo Revell. A book, Competing Modernisms: Toronto’s New City Hall and Square, has been published to accompany the exhibition.

In its day, the Toronto City Hall and Square Competition was a significant event in the global architectural community, with over 500 submissions received from entrants in 42 countries. The building’s completion in 1965 proved to be equally significant to the Canadian public at large, confirming modernity as a legitimate expression of civic values and democratic ambitions. These two forces – architects eager to pursue modernity and a public willing to embrace modern architecture for public buildings – are the subject of this exhibition.

Utilizing archival material, the exhibition explores the competition’s ambitions and its lasting legacy. Submissions demonstrate the pervasiveness of post-war modernity. Entries by Canadian architects are forward-looking and represent the aspirations of young architects who subsequently rose to prominence. Across Canada, the 1958 competition and the project’s completion in 1965 greatly influenced the procurement and design of civic buildings and spaces by raising expectations for high quality public space, spurring investment in civic architecture and infrastructure, and confirming the value of architectural competitions in fostering innovation. The competition’s success provided an incentive to architects, planners and civic leaders to reformulate approaches to public space design into the 1960s, 1970s and beyond.

About the curators

The exhibition is curated by architect and urban planner George Thomas Kapelos, Associate Professor in the Department of Architectural Science at Ryerson University, and Christopher Armstrong, Emeritus Professor of History at York University. George Thomas Kapelos is an award-winning educator, curator and researcher who teaches design studio, history and theory. Christopher Armstrong is the author of Making Toronto Modern, Architecture and Design 1895 – 1975.

About the publication

To coincide with the exhibition, a book entitled Competing Modernisms: Toronto’s New City Hall and Square has been published by Dalhousie Architectural Press. The book features a critical examination of the competition and its outcome and includes a selection of competition entries and submissions by finalists, illustrated with original drawings and models, as well as a complete listing of the more than 500 architects who entered. The book is available from ABC Art Books Canada at http://www.abcartbookscanada.com/index.html.

Public lecture and exhibition opening

The public lecture, sponsored by the City of Toronto and the Toronto Public Library, will take place on Thursday, September 3, 2015 in the Council Chamber, Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West, Toronto at 7:00 p.m. This is a public lecture. All are welcome to attend. No tickets are required.

The exhibition opening will take place on Thursday, September 17, 2015 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. This event is open to the public, but a response is requested. Please advise Prachi Khandekar (E: prachi.khandekar@ryerson.ca or T: 416 979 5000 x 2597) by September 15, 2015 if you plan to attend.

The exhibition is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts, Ryerson University and is sponsored by the Ontario Association of Architects, Perkins + Will Architects and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada.