Scholars have observed how museums reflect, promote, and challenge dominant notions of civic identity through their curatorial practices. Less well understood, however, is the role that museum architecture plays in this process. Adopting insights from architectural theory, this chapter explores the relationship between museum architecture, civic identity, and public life, in a study of two century-old museums in Toronto. I examine how the architecture of these museums was made and remade across three distinct political eras. In doing so, this presentation sheds light on the role that museum architecture plays in structuring collective meanings and experiences.