ABSTRACT
Most town halls represent a political statement – a new direction for their community, a break with the past or a change in status. Nathan Philips was elected as city mayor shortly before the referendum vote in 1955. As a Jew, he was an unusual choice for Mayor of Toronto and his election marked a turning point for the city. In Toronto, Viljo Revell solved the problem with greater subtlety, using the two great office wings to assert themselves by their height in the immediate surroundings of the square, and within the city as a whole – by their contrasting, curving form. Revell’s justification for the twin towers of differing heights was that they were designed to accommodate the two separate Toronto civic administrations, which the building was designed to serve. Revell’s partners completed the project and it was officially opened on 13 September 1965.
