Designing for experience: Inside the Atrium and the Great Library
Osgoode Hall’s interiors convey a sense of institutional authority, evident in the Atrium’s grandeur and the Great Library’s extravagant ornamentation, which characterize these spaces.
Cumberland and Storm’s 1857 interior design was conceived as a “Temple of Justice.” The interior detailing uses a “Hierarchy of Classical Orders,” adopted by ancient architects and repurposed by generations of imitators from the Renaissance onward: Tuscan on the ground floor, Ionic on the main floor, and Corinthian (the most ornate) in the Great Library. This hierarchy symbolizes the increasing importance of the spaces as one moves through the building.
While one of the reasons for removing the original dome might have been to cut costs, the reconstruction of the central Atrium was so magnificent that it counteracted any financial savings. Additionally, the grand scale of this entrance reflects the evolution of Ontario’s highest courts. Although this large open area offers little in terms of functionality, it maximizes the “architectural experience” at the heart of the building.
Osgoode Hall, ground floor plan, Div. 1, drawing 2
Osgoode Hall, ground floor plan, Div. 1, drawing 2, 1859 (J.C.B. and E.C. Horwood collection, Cumberland and Storm’s architectural records relating to Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario, C 11-102-0-13 (102) 15, Archives of Ontario, image I0049936)
Image transcript
Text visible at the top:
“West Wing”
“Div. No. 1 – Drawing No. 2”
“Osgoode Hall Toronto”
“Ground Floor Plan”
Room labels include:
“Plea Office C.P.”
“Docketting Office C.P.”
“Common Pleas Record Vaults”
“Court of Probate”
“Probate Record Vaults”
“Practice Court Vault”
“Clerk of the Practice Court”
“The Practice Court”
“The Judges of the Practice Court”
“Plea Office Q.B.”
“Docketting Office Q.B.”
“Queen’s Bench Record Vaults”
“Clerk of the Process”
Visible architectural features:
Large central entrance hall, symmetrical building layout, paired grand staircases, interior corridors, offices, courtrooms, clerk offices, record vaults, masonry structural walls, door swings, window openings, dimension strings, section reference markers, grid and alignment lines, architectural scale bar, handwritten construction notes, drafting symbols, and wing orientation labels.
Additional visible text:
“East Wing”
Section reference markers including “A”, “B”, “C”, “D”, “E”, “H”, “K”, “M”, and “T” appear throughout the drawing.
Lower right inscription:
“Cumberland & Storm, Architects”
“Toronto, March 1860”
Osgoode Hall, section on line I-K, Div. 1, drawing 12
Osgoode Hall, section on line I-K, Div. 1, drawing 12, 1858–1861 (J.C.B. and E.C. Horwood collection, Cumberland and Storm’s architectural records relating to Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario, C 11-102-0-2 (102) 25, Archives of Ontario, image I0005447)
Image transcript
Text visible at the top:
“Div. No. 1 – Drawing No. 12”
“Osgoode Hall Toronto”
“Section on Line I–K”
Section titles visible:
“Section on Line N–O”
“Section on Line I–K”
“Section on Line P–Q”
Room labels include:
“The Court of Common Pleas”
“The Court of Common Pleas (South East)”
“The Court of Queen’s Bench (North East)”
“The Court of Queen’s Bench”
“Common Pleas Vaults”
“Queen’s Bench Vaults”
Visible architectural features:
Five sectional elevations arranged symmetrically across the sheet, grand central entrance hall, arcaded galleries, vaulted basement spaces, decorative wall panelling, roof trusses, chimneys, clerestory glazing, masonry foundations, multiple floor levels, load-bearing walls with structural cut highlighting, ornamental cornices, arched openings, doors, windows, and an architectural scale bar positioned near the bottom of the drawing.
Lower right inscription:
“Cumberland & Storm, Architects”
“Toronto, May 1861”
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, section on L-M, Div. 1, drawing 13
Osgoode Hall, section on L-M, Div. 1, drawing 13, 1858–1861 (J.C.B. and E.C. Horwood collection, Cumberland and Storm’s architectural records relating to Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario, C 11-102-2-0-2 (102) 27, Archives of Ontario, image I0005448)
Image transcript
Text visible at the top:
“Div. No. 1 – Drawing No. 13”
“Osgoode Hall Toronto”
“Section on Line L–M Looking North”
Labels include:
“Benchers’ Room”
“The Offices Common Pleas”
“Librarian’s Room”
“The Offices Queen’s Bench”
Visible architectural features:
Grand central staircase, upper gallery, arched interior openings, roof trusses and skylight, multiple floor levels, load-bearing masonry walls, structural section highlighting, and an architectural scale bar.
Lower right inscription:
“Cumberland & Storm, Architects, Toronto” (Signed and dated May 1860)
Architecture for experience
The Atrium was designed as the building’s monumental core, drawing its stylistic inspiration from the Italian Renaissance palazzo, such as the Palazzo Tursi Doria in Genoa designed by Rocco Lurago in 1564. Here, the architects specified a vibrant floor of multi-colored tessellated tiles manufactured by the British firm Maw & Co. At the centre of the atrium, a large, shallow central dome serves as the primary light source. While the vibrant red, yellow and blue glass panels are likely original features of the building’s mid-19th century design, the stained glass has undergone subtle modifications over time. The pink glass seen today is a 1960s addition, introduced to replace the original etched glass. The original mid-1850s design used etched glass — similar to that in the Great Library — allowing a soft, uniform natural light to filter into the heart of the building.
The Great Library
S’étirant sur 34 mètres (112 pieds) au centre du bâtiment, la Grande Bibliothèque a été conçue comme un espace intérieur monumental aux proportions exceptionnelles. L’intérieur se déploie en trois cubes, selon les principes palladiens des salles cubiques — une méthode classique visant à atteindre l’harmonie spatiale par la répétition de modules mathématiques. Même si la salle a une longueur de 34 mètres (112 pieds), les architectes ont utilisé des proportions de 12 mètres (40 pieds) pour sa hauteur et sa largeur afin de créer un environnement équilibré. En fondant la conception sur ces principes, Cumberland et Storm ont projeté un sentiment d’ordre et d’équilibre intellectuel représentatif des principes fondamentaux de la profession juridique. De plus, la Grande Bibliothèque est rehaussée par de grandes colonnes corinthiennes posées sur de hauts piédestaux, ornées d’extravagantes feuilles d’acanthe, qui contribuent au sentiment de grandeur.
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, section on line CC-DD, Div. 2, drawing 22
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, section on line CC-DD, Div. 2, drawing 22, 1859 (J.C.B. and E.C. Horwood collection, Cumberland and Storm’s architectural records relating to Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario, C 11-102-0-147 (102) 37, Archives of Ontario, image I0061380)
Image transcript
Text visible at the top:
“Div. 2 – Drawing 22”
“Osgoode Hall Toronto”
“Section on Line CC–DD”
Drawing titles include:
“Half Plan of Ceiling”
“Longitudinal Section of Library”
“Looking South”
Visible architectural features:
Longitudinal sectional elevation, half ceiling plan, basement foundation, principal library reading room, double-height interior volume, round-arched windows, clerestory windows, central glazed roof lantern, decorative coffered ceiling, roof trusses, roof framing, masonry structural walls, floor framing, foundation footings, pilasters, cornices, entablature, parapet wall, stone base course, window openings, door openings, enlarged classical cornice and capital detail, section cut masonry highlighted in muted pink, architectural hatching, construction lines, and symmetrical classical composition.
Additional visible text:
“Open to Below”
Section reference “CC–DD”
Lower right inscription:
“Cumberland & Storm, Architects”
“Toronto, March 1867”
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, plan of upper floor, Div. 2, drawing 16
Osgoode Hall, Toronto, plan of upper floor, Div. 2, drawing 16, 1859 (J.C.B. and E.C. Horwood collection, Cumberland and Storm’s architectural records relating to Osgoode Hall in Toronto, Ontario, C 11-102-0-147 (102) 39, Archives of Ontario, image I0061381)
Image transcript
Text visible at the top:
“Div 2 – Drawing 16”
“Osgoode Hall Toronto”
“Plan of Upper Floor”
Room labels include:
“Court of Common Pleas”
“Court of Queens Bench”
“Centre Hall”
“Barristers”
“Benchers”
“Library Lobby”
“Library”
“Librarian”
Visible architectural features:
Large central library space, symmetrical upper floor arrangement, central hall, paired staircases, court chambers, barristers’ rooms, librarian’s room, masonry structural walls, interior partitions, door openings, window openings, stair details, furniture layouts, section cut lines, dimension strings, grid and alignment lines, architectural annotations, circulation corridors, wall thicknesses, and classical institutional planning arrangement.
Additional visible text:
“The Library”
Section reference markers including “AA”, “BB”, “CC”, “DD”, “EE”, and “FF” appear throughout the drawing.
Lower right inscription:
“Cumberland & Storm, Architects”
“Toronto, May 1867” (the date is faint and partially obscured by the condition of the original sheet)
The Great Library
While primarily for legal study, the library’s central area also had various other functions — including accommodating diners and dancers during special events, most notably during the 1860 visit of the Prince of Wales.
Back to: Chapter 02
The grand facade: Architectural ambition and institutional authority
Next up: Chapter 04
A site constantly in flux: Boundaries, security and architectural evolution
Looking for more records?
Search our collection