The Macdonald Block Complex is a set of office buildings in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Ontario, Canada, that houses 12 cabinet ministers, 15 Ontario government ministries (as of 2016) and the largest concentration of Ontario public servants. Its address is 900 Bay Street, and is located just east of Queen's Park.

Layout

The complex consists of four towers: *The Ferguson Block: A 14-storey building that was completed in 1969, designed in the International Style by Shore Tilbe Henschel Irwin Architects and Engineers (now

Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners Shore Tilbe Perkins+Will, formerly Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners (STIP), is a Canadian architecture firm based in Toronto, Ontario. Since its founding as Shore and Moffat in 1945, and later as Shore Tilbe Irwin & Partners, the firm has completed n ...

). The building is named for former

Premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of governm ...

George H. Ferguson, and is located at 77 Wellesley Street West. *The Hearst Block is home to Ontario's provincial

Ministry of Energy A Ministry of Energy or Department of Energy is a government department in some countries that typically oversees the production of fuel and electricity; in the United States, however, it manages nuclear weapons development and conducts energy-rel ...

Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport The Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries (previously the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport until October 2019), was created on January 18, 2010 when the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Tourism were combined und ...

, and Ministry of Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure. The building is named for former Premier

William Howard Hearst Sir William Howard Hearst, (February 15, 1864 – September 29, 1941) was the seventh premier of Ontario from 1914 to 1919. Hearst was born in Bruce County, Ontario. He practiced law in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario before being voted to provin ...

. It is ten storeys high. Designed by same firm as the Ferguson Block. *The Hepburn Block is home to various ministries, including the

Ministry of Community and Social Services The Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services is the ministry in Ontario, Canada responsible for services to children and youth, social services such as Welfare (financial aid), welfare, the Ontario Disability Support Program, and communi ...

and the

Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care The Ministry of Health is the Government of Ontario ministry responsible for administering the health care system in the Canadian province of Ontario. The ministry is responsible to the Ontario Legislature through the minister of health, presentl ...

. The 14-storey building is named for former Ontario Premier

Mitchell Hepburn Mitchell Frederick Hepburn (August 12, 1896 – January 5, 1953) was the 11th premier of Ontario, from 1934 to 1942. He was the youngest premier in Ontario history, appointed at age 37. He was the only Ontario Liberal Party leader in the 20th cent ...

. Designed by same firm as the Ferguson Block in 1969. *The Mowat Block is 24 storeys high and is named after the third Premier of Ontario, Sir Oliver Mowat. Designed by same firm as the Ferguson Block in 1969. *The Macdonald Block is named after the first Premier of Ontario, Sir

John Sandfield Macdonald John Sandfield Macdonald, (December 12, 1812 – June 1, 1872) was the joint premier of the Province of Canada from 1862 to 1864. He was also the first premier of Ontario from 1867 to 1871, one of the four founding provinces created at Conf ...

. It was completed in 1968 (along with the Hepburn Block), and is located at 900 Bay Street. This block is a podium that connects the four towers along the first two storeys of each and has a bridge to the first floor of

Whitney Block The Whitney Block is a Government of Ontario office building located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located across the street from the Ontario Legislative Building, and contains the offices of the Premier of Ontario and most cabinet ministers ...

from its second storey. It is designed by the same firm as the Ferguson Block. Ontario Government Buildings-Aerial

History

The massive construction site for the MacDonald Block was the filming location for

Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...

's last film, "The Reporter", an industrial safety short that was released under the title '' The Scribe''. In July 2016, the

Government of Ontario The government of Ontario (french: Gouvernement de l'Ontario) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of Ontario. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown—represented in the province by the lieutenant governor� ...

announced an eight-year reconstruction project of the entire complex.

Nearby government buildings

Other government buildings nearby include: *

Ontario Power Building The Intact Centre is an office building located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that serves as the head offices of Ontario Power Generation and Intact Financial. It was originally built in 1975 for Ontario Hydro (of which OPG is a successor company) a ...

Frost Building The Frost Building is a curved 7 and 6 storey office building complex on the south east side of Queen's Park Crescent in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building is owned by the Government of Ontario and is part of the large Queen's Park campus. T ...

References

Ferguson Block

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