Torontonians invited to weigh in on Old City Hall's future this weekend

Visitors to the Old City Hall this weekend will have the opportunity to share their opinion on what the now-vacant sprawling Victorian-era building should be used for. 

Old City Hall is being included in Doors Open for the first time in five years. The annual program, which is in its 25th year, celebrates the city's architecture and history by giving visitors behind-the-scenes access to 150 buildings across Toronto.

"Doors Open is a great opportunity for Torontonians to start to engage with us on what they want," said Vic Gupta, CEO of CreateTO, a city-owned agency that looks to create opportunities based on the city's real estate portfolio. 

He said there are several opportunities for visitors to provide their input, such as by talking to CreateTO and city staff, as well as filling out an online survey. 

Old City Hall, which is located on Queen Street West at Bay Street, became vacant on April 1 after losing its only tenant, the Ontario government, which had used the building as a courthouse since 1972. The courts were relocated to the new St. Lawrence Market North courthouse.

Gupta said the city is asking CreateTO to develop a "long term plan so the people of Toronto can enjoy this building into the future." 

Among the possibilities are turning it into a library, a museum of Toronto or a new wedding chapel, he said. 

"It's a big space… We're hoping that all of those uses can be accommodated," he said. 

Building open to public on Sunday

He said CreateTO is looking to do its "due diligence" by exploring what Torontonians want for the building's future through an extensive public engagement process. 

Doors Open is a "perfect launching point for our engagement with the public," he said. 

CreateTO will examine these suggestions over the next year as it prepares a report for city council, he said. 

WATCH | Old City Hall was home to several famous court cases: 

What does the future of Toronto’s Old City Hall look like?

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Duration 3:06

For more than 120 years, Toronto’s Old City Hall has been an architectural fixture of downtown, but the future of the landmark remains unclear. As CBC’s Farrah Merali reports, city staff have spent years trying to find a prospective new tenant.

Doors Open runs May 24 and May 25 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with site-specific hours available on the city's website. 

Mayor Olivia Chow encouraged people to participate in the program, speaking at Old City Hall on Saturday. 

"People can come in for free, explore, imagine and say that, 'This is a city where I feel I belong, a city that I love," she said.