Osgoode Hall

Osgoode Hall at 130 Queen St W in downtown Toronto, Ontario, is the headquarters of the Law Society of Ontario and houses courts including the Court of Appeal for Ontario. Construction began in 1829, and the original building was completed in 1832 for the Law Society of Upper Canada. It was named after William Osgoode, the first Chief Justice of Upper Canada. Over the nineteenth century the building was expanded in stages by architects including John Ewart, William Warren Baldwin, Frederick Cumberland and William Storm, resulting in a blend of Palladian, Neoclassical and Italianate styles. The site is a National Historic Site of Canada. The building stands behind a cast-iron fence, constructed in the 1860s, with a curved pattern of gates that was designed to keep out cows that wandered from the nearby pastures. Inside, the main attractions include the Rotunda with its decorated floor of Minton tiles, the Great Library with a coffered ceiling and the Convocation Hall, which hold fine plasterwork, wood panelling and portraits of judges and lawyers. These spaces preserve the character of the Victorian legal profession in Upper Canada, when the building also served as a law school for students. The Law Society cares for the building through ongoing restoration of the roofs, windows and ceilings, and its collections include paintings and legal artifacts. Public visits are generally limited to guided tours on weekdays in the summer months, which must be arranged ahead of time through the Law Society, and a separate restaurant open to the public operates on the grounds. The building continues to serve as a working courthouse and professional hub, so access depends on the court schedule. The lawn and gardens in front of the building are a quiet green space along busy Queen Street.