Osgoode Hall, at 130 Queen Street West in Toronto, is the headquarters of the Law Society of Upper Canada (now the Law Society of Ontario) and has housed senior provincial courts since 1846. Its east wing was built from 1829 to 1832, and the hall is named for William Osgoode, the first chief justice of Upper Canada. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada on November 15, 1979.
The page on six historic Toronto buildings lists the architects and the 1861 John Anderson case in a single table row. This article looks at the building in more detail: the man it is named for, the work of each architect, the Great Library, and the fence with its narrow gates.
Building phases in order
| Date | Work | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1829 to 1832 | East wing by John Ewart, assisted by W. W. Baldwin | Canada’s Historic Places |
| 1844 to 1846 | West wing, portico, loggia, and dome by Henry Bowyer Lane | Dictionary of Canadian Biography; Parks Canada |
| 1856 to 1860 | New centre section with the Great Library by Cumberland and Storm (dates differ by source) | Parks Canada; Dictionary of Canadian Biography |
| 1865 | Law school added at the rear of the East Wing by William Storm | Canada’s Historic Places |
| 1866 or 1867 | Cast-iron fence on Queen Street | Dictionary of Canadian Biography; NOW Toronto |
| 1874 | Province begins to own part of the building | Canada’s Historic Places |
| 1881 | Convocation hall and classrooms added to the East Wing | Dictionary of Canadian Biography |
| 1891 | Further extension by Storm | Dictionary of Canadian Biography |
The man behind the name
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records that William Osgoode was born in London in March 1754 and died there on January 17, 1824. He was appointed the first chief justice of Upper Canada on December 31, 1791, and in 1794 he passed the Judicature Act, which created a single king’s bench court for the whole province. He left for Lower Canada in 1794. The biography places him mainly at Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake) and does not say he lived or worked at York, so the hall honors a name rather than a resident of the site.
John Ewart’s first building
The Dictionary of Canadian Biography describes John Ewart as an architect and builder born in Tranent, Scotland, in 1788, who died in Toronto on September 18, 1856. By around 1819 he was working in York, where his first recorded contract was the York Hospital in 1819 to 1820. The Osgoode Hall commission of 1829 was his last known one. It called for a complex of three pavilions, of which one was built, a brick building with a parapet, and a lateral dormitory was added in 1830. The Canadian Encyclopedia describes the original as a small, two-and-a-half-storey brick building. Ewart’s spare trim still curves around the original entrance, though later architects masked most of its Regency features.
Lane gives the building its Palladian shape
In 1844 the plans of Henry Bowyer Lane were chosen for major additions. According to the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, he designed the entire west wing, added a stone portico to Ewart’s east wing to balance the composition, and designed a Palladian loggia and dome for the range of chambers between the wings. Canada’s Historic Places spells his middle name “Bower” in its register entry. The Canadian Encyclopedia calls the result one of Canada’s most important examples of a late Palladian style.
The Great Library and the Rotunda
Lane’s central section was demolished in 1856, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography states, and the new lawcourts and Great Library that took its place were designed by Frederic William Cumberland and William George Storm. The biography notes that their design respected Lane’s choice of materials, massing, and style. Dates for this work vary: Parks Canada gives 1856 to 1859, Canada’s Historic Places gives 1857 for the renovation, the Canadian Encyclopedia gives 1855 to 1857, and the Dictionary of Canadian Biography entry for Cumberland places the centre portion at 1857 to 1860.
Parks Canada’s statement of designation highlights the Great Library, with its vaulted hall, side aisles, shallow coffered dome, blind arcade, and plasterwork, and the Rotunda, with arcading in piers below and paired columns above. The interiors follow a hierarchy of classical orders: Tuscan on the ground floor, Ionic on the piano nobile, and Corinthian in the Great Library and the Court of Queen’s Bench. The register also lists the wood-panelled dining room. For the partner in this work, see the biography of Frederic William Cumberland.
The fence and the “cow gates”
The fence is the part of the property most people see from Queen Street. Parks Canada says it is a stone and wrought-iron fence with elaborate entrance gates, built by Hamilton and Son of the St. Lawrence Foundry in Toronto. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography credits Storm with designing the cast-iron fence in 1866. A NOW Toronto article citing the Law Society and Heritage Toronto dates the panels to 1867 and says they replaced an earlier wooden fence of 1831. The sources therefore differ on the year and the material. The designation also covers the lawn with its Y-shaped walkways.
A popular story says the V-shaped gates were built to keep cows out. The NOW Toronto article, quoting a Heritage Toronto plaques coordinator, calls this a myth. It reports that the gates swung closed when first installed but have been stuck in place since at least the 1880s, and that law students tested the cow story by leading a cow named “Bossy” through. The article traces the livestock story to John Mitchell’s 1933 book The Yellow Briar.
Who owns what
Canada’s Historic Places records that the Province has owned part of the building since 1874, while the Law Society retains the East Wing and the Great Library. The law school addition of 1865 and the convocation hall of 1881 date from the period when legal education was housed here; sources give conflicting dates for when the school left, so none is stated.
The Anderson case in brief
The 1861 case of John Anderson was heard here, and it is a main reason for the national designation. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography records a habeas corpus writ on November 20, 1860, a ruling by the Queen’s Bench on December 15, 1860, that he could be extradited by a vote of two to one, and his discharge on February 16, 1861, because the warrant did not charge murder. For context, see Black history and the Underground Railroad in Toronto.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Osgoode Hall?
It is named for William Osgoode, the first chief justice of Upper Canada. The Dictionary of Canadian Biography does not connect him to York itself.
Who designed Osgoode Hall?
Several architects. John Ewart, assisted by W. W. Baldwin, designed the original; Henry Bowyer Lane the west wing and portico; Cumberland and Storm the centre section and Great Library; Storm later added the convocation hall.
Are the gates really for cows?
No, according to a Heritage Toronto plaques coordinator quoted by NOW Toronto. The cow story is called a myth.
Are courts still held at Osgoode Hall?
The register records that provincial superior courts have sat there since 1846 and that the Law Society occupies the building. For current use, check the Law Society of Ontario.
Related reading
- Six historic buildings in a summary table
- Old City Hall and its courtrooms
- Frederic William Cumberland, architect and engineer
- Black history and the Underground Railroad
- Toronto’s history in outline
Sources
- Canada’s Historic Places: Osgoode Hall National Historic Site of Canada
- Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations: Osgoode Hall
- Dictionary of Canadian Biography: entries for William Osgoode, John Ewart, Henry Bowyer Joseph Lane, and William George Storm
- The Canadian Encyclopedia, “Osgoode Hall”
- NOW Toronto, “Myth debunked: the story behind Osgoode Hall’s V-shaped fence”
Last verified: October 2026
Cite this page
APA: History of Toronto. (2026, October 23). Osgoode Hall: Architects, Great Library, and the Fence. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/osgoode-hall-history
MLA: “Osgoode Hall: Architects, Great Library, and the Fence.” History of Toronto, 23 Oct. 2026, https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/osgoode-hall-history. Accessed .
Chicago: History of Toronto. “Osgoode Hall: Architects, Great Library, and the Fence.” Last modified October 23, 2026. https://historyoftoronto.ca/blog/osgoode-hall-history.
The pages have no named author, so the site is given as the author. Add the date you read the page if your style asks for it.