Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Queen's Park
This was a self-guided tour of the "Pink Palace," with interpreters at most points of interest to explain and describe where you were and what you were looking at.
Coming in the entrance, you go along the central hallway, and see the grand staircase that leads into the main building and upper areas. This was closed to the public, but you can get a picture of it anyway. Note the Ontario coat of arms, and the painting of the Fathers of Confederation above the doorway:
Also in the central hallway, the ceremonial maces used by the Speaker are on display. The original mace (at left), from the late 1700s, when the Legislature was moved to Toronto (then York) from Niagara Falls, is made from gilded wood. The newer one (at right), is still used, and is made from copper, and plated with gold:
The tour continues into the east wing, and the corridor is quite striking; three levels, all with dark wood paneling and pillars, and a brilliant stained-glass ceiling, perfect for a sunny day like this:
Each of the pillars has a wrap-around relief on it. In this area, they featured this "dragon" motif:
Then, it was up to the second level, where the premier's office is located, along with portraits of all the previous premiers.
It made me feel quite proud to live in a place advanced enough that gender and sexual orientation made no difference in our choice for premier:
From the second level, I could get a better picture of the stained-glass ceiling over the east wing, and it's pretty spectacular:
And, looking down, you can see the whole corridor where I had just been. Note the pillars, hardwood floor, and display cases along the sides, with artifacts, books and objects related to different aspects of Ontario's history:
Moving west, you come to the actual legislative assembly chamber, where the Parliament of Ontario sits. Each of the desks is assigned to one of the MPPs, with their name on it, and the order of business for the day set out. All around the chamber, at the upper level. are the public galleries, where citizens can sit and watch the proceedings:
I then got a closer shot of the speaker's chair at the end of the room.
The coat of arms is that of Great Britain (the lion and the unicorn), reflecting, I suppose, the origin of the parliamentary system of our country:
Then, it was on to the west wing. This area suffered a huge fire, I believe, early in the 20th century, and was completely rebuilt, this time with beautiful marble columns and balustrades:
There is also an amazing inlaid floor in this area. The guide said that each of these tiles was cut by hand:
Looking up in this area, you see another stained-glass ceiling, this one with the Ontario coat of arms, with the moose, elk and bear:
The walls along the corridor are lined with paintings by Canadian artists. As you see, they are mostly landscapes, seascapes, portraits and still lifes:
As you go along the corridor, you see that most of its north side is taken up by the huge caucus room, When I rounded the corner and looked out the window, I saw this enormous, probably original, chimney, and took a picture of it, to include the windows (below) of the caucus chamber:
The next areas are for the use of the Governor-General of Ontario, and this music room, where guests are entertained, includes portraits of the various Governors-General over the years:
This is followed by the various reception rooms, where guests, eg., royalty, heads of state, and so on, are welcomed.
On this occasion, there was an exhibit of paintings by local artist Charles Pachter, titled "Lest We Forget/N'Oublions Pas," on the subject of the First World War. The picture below, taken in a mirror, shows two of his paintings; one, a simple poppy on a plain background, and the other, a portrait of John McRae, known worldwide for "In Flanders Fields":
At the doorways and in the halls in this area, more of the remarkable inlaid floors can be seen:
Finally, it's back out to the ground floor level of the west wing, where you get a great view of all four of its marble levels:
And that was it for the Legislative Building. I'm glad I got a chance to see what it looks like inside.
I tried to recall if I had been there on a school trip or something, many suns ago, but nothing rang a bell, so it seems this was my first time.
It was great to be able to see this place; all the guides and security people were very gracious and helpful.
Thomas Fisher Rare Book Library, U of T
My first surprise was that this section of U of T's brutalist Robarts Library is actually contained in the "wings" of the thunderbird figure that faces the corner of St. George and Harbord:
The second level was where guests were allowed in on this occasion, and from there, you get great views of the stacks, in one direction:
And the other:
It's probably safe to assume that the lighting in this area is more subdued than in other parts of the Robarts so that the older paper of these volumes is at less risk of yellowing and fading.
Most of the display cases you see in the pictures contained objects and mementos from World War I.
There is also a central stack, above the entrance:
There are five levels in all, and there are some amazing things here, including, according to the guide, one of the original folios of Shakespeare's works!
Also on display was an 1895 illustrated edition of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales.
We were also allowed to visit the ground level, and the view of the stacks from here is even more breathtaking:
One feels awed in places like this. Much as it would be a blast to see an original Shakespeare folio, I'd feel awkward asking, though I don't suppose there's much stopping me. They said you can sign things out here, just like any library, and maybe one day, I'll give it a shot. Who knows?
I just love events like Doors Open. It's so great to be able to see places that aren't normally accessible, or as accessible, to the public. You gain a much better idea of the history, and future, of the place you live, and it helps you feel you belong. That's something we all could have a better sense of.
