Passing through Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1981,
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1981 – © Avard Woolaver

Nathan Phillips Square is a large city square in downtown Toronto (12 acres) that is the home of Toronto City Hall. It is a place of numerous activities–skating rink, farmers’market, concerts, demonstrations. There is often lots going on here, but at other times it is eerily empty.

It is a place that I rarely went to for an event; I was usually just passing through. So my photos are usually just little glimpses of what was happening there. Looking back at my contact sheets from the 1980s it seems that I passed through Nathan Phillips Square a few times a year. It was a good place for photos–lots of open space, interesting architectural details, plenty of concrete, and human activity.

These photos were just random moments at the time, but mean a lot more to me now as I rediscover the past life of my 20s. It reminds me that life is short and we must Carpe diem— “sieze the day.” For me, having a camera in my hand at all times helped me remember, You only get to do this once. We have to take time and see it, as clearly as we can.

Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1982,
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1982 – © Avard Woolaver

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Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1983,
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

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Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1984,
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1984 – © Avard Woolaver

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Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1985,
Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1985 – © Avard Woolaver

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Nathan Phillips Square, Toronto, 1984 – © Avard Woolaver

3 Comments

  1. tyblogy said:

    Nice glimps to the past with these quality photos..

    February 21, 2019
    • avardw said:

      Thank you, Pavel.

      February 21, 2019
  2. David Imrie said:

    Great memories of downtown Toronto. Although I grew up there, I went to City Hall for a few CHUM concerts, some political stuff (a neighbourhood group once dumped loaded garbage bags at the main door to protest a prolonged civic workers’ strike in 1972), to occasionally skate and attend a few public events. Just before we moved west, my then 6-year old son loved to ice skate there. He was thrilled one Friday night when Brian Orser skated as part of a promotional show for Bell’s new invention – cell phones. He was thrilled when he spoke to his grandmother in Victoria, BC.

    February 21, 2019

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