St. Lawrence Hall
| St. Lawrence Hall | |
|---|---|
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| Location | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°39′01″N 79°22′20″W / 43.65028°N 79.37222°WCoordinates: 43°39′01″N 79°22′20″W / 43.65028°N 79.37222°W |
| Built | 1850 |
| Architect | William Thomas |
| Governing body | City of Toronto |
| Designated | 1967 |
St. Lawrence Hall is a meeting hall in Toronto, Canada located at the corner of King Street East and Jarvis Street. It was created to be Toronto's public meeting hall home to public gatherings, concerts, and exhibitions. Its main feature was a thousand-seat amphitheater. For decades the hall was the centre of Toronto's social life, before larger venues took over much of this business. Today the hall continues as a venue for events including weddings, conferences, and art shows.
The location was previously part of the Market Square area, and had been the site of the first permanent market buildings. A fire in 1841 caused the northern portions of this building to be pulled down, leading to the building of the current St. Lawrence Market in 1850 a block south at what was then Palace Street, and today known as Front Street. The vacated area at the corner of King and Jarvis was in the heart of the growing community. The Renaissance Revival style building was designed by William Thomas.
It was here that prominent politicians such as John A. Macdonald and George Brown (fathers of Canadian Confederation) addressed the people of Toronto. It was the main venue for musicians and other performers who came to the city. The lower levels were integrated into the market and were home to stores and businesses. A third storey section of the building was known as St. Patrick Hall, an important meeting place for the Irish Catholic Benevolent Union.
By the 1870s the growing city had a number of larger and more suitable performance venues and the Hall entered a long decline. It continued to serve a number of roles, including several years as the home of the National Ballet of Canada. The city of Toronto fully restored the hall in 1967 to mark the Canadian Centennial (and rebuilt the east wing which had completely collapsed). That same year it was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada. The first two Juno Awards ceremonies were presented here in 1970 and 1971.
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