Built heritage struggles with accessibility

The earliest portion of Osgoode Hall, opened in 1832 as the headquarters for the Law Society of Upper Canada, is an elegant, imposing, architectural delight. Designed by John Ewart (with Dr. William Warren Baldwin, renovations by Henry Bower Lane in 1844), the highly symmetrical palladian/neoclassical building at Queen Street West and University Avenue was declared a National Historic Site in 1979.

However, those with mobility challenges – whether a wheelchair or visual impairment – have found the building imposing in an altogether different way. In 2008, a renovation to provide barrier-free access was announced, despite the City of Toronto’s Heritage Preservation Services protesting that it would have a “negative impact” on the building’s heritage value.