Pecaut Square (formerly known as Metro Square) is a large concrete-and granite-clad plaza located in front of
Metro Hall
Metro Hall is a 27-storey Postmodern-style office tower at the corner of Wellington and John Street in the downtown core of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It looks out onto Pecaut Square. Part of the three-tower Metro Centre complex, the building ...
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
Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...
, Canada. The square supports the
PATH network connection between Metro Hall and nearby buildings such as Metro Centre. Glass pavilions provide access to the PATH network.
History
Pecaut Square was built as part of Toronto's
postmodern
Postmodernism is an intellectual stance or mode of discourseNuyen, A.T., 1992. The Role of Rhetorical Devices in Postmodernist Discourse. Philosophy & Rhetoric, pp.183–194. characterized by skepticism toward the " grand narratives" of moderni ...
Metro Hall project, meant to house the government of the
Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was an upper-tier level of municipal government in Ontario, Canada, from 1953 to 1998. It was made up of the old city of Toronto and numerous townships, towns and villages that surrounded Toronto, which ...
, which existed from 1954 to 1998. The agreement to build Metro Hall was signed in 1988, and the project was completed in 1992.
It was formerly known as Metro Square but was renamed in April 2011 by a unanimous
Toronto City Council
Toronto City Council is the governing body of the municipal government of Toronto, Ontario. Meeting at Toronto City Hall, it comprises 25 city councillors and the mayor of Toronto. The current term began on November 15, 2022.
Structure
The cur ...
vote to honour the late civic leader
David Pecaut
David Kent Pecaut, (September 14, 1955 – December 14, 2009) was a US-born Canadian civic leader. He co-founded and sat on the board of the Toronto City Summit Alliance.
Personal life
Pecaut was born to Richard and Dorothy (Kent) Pecaut an ...
.
Culture and amenities
The public space features Canadian sculptor Bernie Miller's ''The Poet, The Fever Hospital'', a 1992 piece made up of galvanized steel, bronze, granite, and marble. The sculpture incorporates a fountain and reflecting pool. The title refers to the poet
Isabella Valancy Crawford
Isabella Valancy Crawford (25 December 1846 – 12 February 1887) was an Irish-born Canadian writer and poet. She was one of the first Canadians to make a living as a freelance writer.
"Crawford is increasingly being viewed as Canada's first maj ...
, who stayed for a brief time in a house that was demolished for the construction of Metro Hall at the southeast corner of King and John Streets.
The fever hospital refers to one of Toronto's first hospitals, which stood at the northeast corner of King and John Streets from 1829 to 1856.
Sheltered by a large granite wall, four bronze boxes evoking television monitors stacked nearly 5 metres high form a fountain. The water flows into a marble basin and into the reflecting pool. The boxes are framed with a semi-circular steel beam, perforated with small holes and mounted at a gentle tilt. The reflecting pool also has an eternal flame fueled by natural gas, unveiled in 1996. The ''Eternal Flame of Hope'' is inspired by the perseverance of disabled people, and burns as a reminder that society must be all-inclusive.
Also located at the southwestern part of the square is Jaan Poldaas' ''Surface Design for Tampered Windscreens'' (1992), a sculpture composed of tempered glass screens which functions as a windbreak.
The screens are etched with vertical and horizontal lines to create different relationships, and are arranged so that people can walk between them. Cynthia Short's ''Remembered Sustenance'' (1992) is piece composed of 19 small and generic bronze animals on the grass just off the sidewalk on Wellington Street West. Half the animals appear to be headed for a bronze feeding dish while the other half seem to be walking away.
Pecaut Square also has a lawn and trees along its outer edges. The public space allows for unique views of Metro Hall,
Roy Thomson Hall
Roy Thomson Hall is a concert hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located downtown in the city's entertainment district, it is home to the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, and the Toronto Defiant. Opened in 1982, its circ ...
and the
Royal Alexandra Theatre
The Royal Alexandra Theatre, commonly known as the Royal Alex, is a theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located near King and Simcoe Street. Built in 1907, the 1,244-seat Royal Alex is the oldest continuously operating legitimate theatre in Nort ...
. It is frequently used for free concerts, film screenings, and other events; for the
state funeral
A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...
of
Jack Layton
John Gilbert Layton (July 18, 1950 – August 22, 2011) was a Canadian academic and politician who served as the leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) from 2003 to 2011 and leader of the Official Opposition in 2011. He previously sat on To ...
on August 27, 2011, the square was used to accommodate a screening for overflow crowds not able to be seated inside Roy Thomson Hall.
See also
*
Albert Campbell Square
Albert Campbell Square is a public square in Scarborough City Centre in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is named after Albert Campbell, the first mayor of the Borough of Scarborough and former Chairman of the Municipality of Metropolita ...
*
Nathan Phillips Square
Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or ''New City Hall'', at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toro ...
*
Yonge-Dundas Square
References
{{Parks and squares in Toronto
Fountains in Canada
Metropolitan Toronto
Squares in Toronto
Postmodern architecture in Canada
1992 establishments in Ontario
Festival venues in Canada