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Ottawa City Hall (original building)
Location: 111 Sussex Drive
Architect: Rother, Bland, Trudeau, constructed: 1958
This well-proportioned Modernist building is one of the best examples of the International Style in Ottawa, winning the Massey Medal for its architects. The simple but elegant façade of limestone cladding, aluminium and glass gives the building a timeless appeal.
The airy and open public foyer with the circular stairs in the center is inviting and impressive at once. Situated on a small island just above Rideau Falls, the City Hall is isolated on three sides, almost pastoral in setting.
This island is now fully built up with the extensive addition by Moshe Safdie, winner of a controversial international competition. Fortunately, the original building was left mostly intact, connected on two sides to the new complex to form a generous courtyard in the center.
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