I stopped by City Hall downtown on the Sunday during Doors Open. The property has three different buildings on it- the Heritage Building, which you can see here in the foreground, the provincial courthouse, which can be glimpsed in the background, and the more modern structure that houses many municipal offices and the council chambers. In this first shot, I'm on the footbridge connecting the Heritage Building to the office wing. The dots you can see on the windows are new- they're meant as a countermeasure to prevent birds from knocking into the glass.
There are board rooms and offices in the Heritage Building, which is of high Victorian design; it was once a school. There are ghost stories associated with this building, a teacher who still walks the halls late at night, footsteps echoing in the halls when guards are all alone. I have more from here tomorrow.
Such an interesting space...traditional from outside and quite modern from inside. I always wonder what these buildings would have looked like when they started from inside...
ReplyDeleteI love the staircase banister!
ReplyDeleteWhat a shame to clutter the windows with those dots.
ReplyDeleteBoth the outside and inside look good. Have a beautiful day!
ReplyDeleteThat corridor is polished very well.
ReplyDeleteGhost stories about teachers, walking the halls...
ReplyDeleteI am that teacher! Hear my footsteps?
Janis
GDP
@Siddhartha: I wonder what the teachers would have thought of its current use.
ReplyDelete@Linda: I found myself photographing staircases at a number of sites.
@Whisk: they were having problems with bird strikes, so they are trying this.
@Nancy: thanks!
@Marianne: it is well looked after.
@Janis: I can imagine being a lone guard here late at night, and hearing footsteps upstairs!
It reminds me of a school ... very spooky, though. Love those stone buildings!
ReplyDeleteI like that last shot, seems to be a wonderful corridor for ghosts ...
ReplyDeleteIf I were a ghost, I'd pick someplace like this to haunt!
ReplyDeleteLove the old stair banister.
ReplyDeleteSome of the old buildings , although very nice, are all marble and hardwood so sound echoes forever. Maybe the sounds keep echoing.
ReplyDeleteI like your new header.
ReplyDeleteLovely staircase.
MB
@Lowell: I find myself wondering if the principal's office might have been where the mayor's office is now.
ReplyDelete@Jan: I didn't hear or see any spectral residents.
@Norma: it is a good spot.
@Janey: I did as well.
@Red: one wonders, perhaps, though if you're sitting alone at your desk and start hearing footsteps, that can't be an echo from you!
@MB: I'll be back at that spot before I'm done with Doors Open. It seemed very appropriate for summer.
The glass walkway is such a good way to join old and new, happy they've thought about the birds. Love the wooden staircase, perfect for a ghostly presence to get a bit of exercise:)
ReplyDeleteI love those railings on the stairway. They are spurring a memory in me but, I'm not quite sure what of. Maybe the very first school I went to.
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful. That stone building looks like the library in my home town. Love the railings inside.
ReplyDeleteThat's a beautiful building. But a ghost story scares me!
ReplyDeleteI like that wooden staircase.
ReplyDeleteNice with the ghost.
ReplyDeleteLooks like you had the place to yourself!
ReplyDeleteThere are always ghosts. :-)
ReplyDeleteI like the BIG image on top of your blog. That looks like a fantastic place, and what a view!
ReplyDelete@Grace: do ghosts need exercise?
ReplyDelete@Sharon: they do evoke memories in me.
@Pat: it was a beautifully constructed building.
@Tamago: it depends on the ghost story.
@Marleen: staircases seem to catch my attention.
@Stefan: it's a nice thing to hear, unless you're the guard hearing it!
@RedPat: looks can be deceiving, though I expect it was a good deal busier the day before, when the mayor was hosting people at his office for a couple of hours.
@Revrunner: but of course!
@Gunn: I'll be featuring a post from there, as I stopped at the Rowing Club this year.
I think my favourite Doors Open were hoity toity cottages in Muskoka! :-)
ReplyDeleteMagnificent stairs!
ReplyDeleteWow! I saw ghosts moving around in these shots. {{grin}}
ReplyDeleteLove those old stone buildings, not so much the ghost stories :)
ReplyDeletepeople must think that blue is calming ... i see it often in business areas. i wonder? i had a girl say to me once, i never knew you would wear RED, i thought? why not?? i love anything red. it is such a bold color she told me. i love it and will continue to wear it. weird??! but i guess some think that way. any who. ( ;
ReplyDelete@Jennifer: I know Muskoka does this, alternating between the townships by the year.
ReplyDelete@Mari: I really liked them.
@Kay: it's not hard to imagine.
@Karl: I always like a good ghost story.
@Beth: well, I inevitably tend to wear black!
I love the sounds and smells of old schools. But, not footsteps of ghosts!! The stairwell wood is nice.
ReplyDeleteThanks!
DeleteCool shots of the stairwells!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
DeleteLove the stairs.
ReplyDeleteSo do I.
DeleteLove the new banner!
ReplyDeleteThank you.
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