Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada

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An Ontario historical plaque marking the site of Upper Canada's first Parliament Buildings.

The first Parliament Buildings of Upper Canada after the move from Newark, Upper Canada were built at the foot of Parliament and Front Streets in York, Upper Canada (now Toronto, Ontario, Canada). The complex of three buildings (two wood and one brick) served from 1798–1813, when it was burned to the ground by invading United States troops during the War of 1812.

The first Parliament Buildings did not serve the first parliament, however, but the second. The first session was held from 1792–1796 in Navy Hall at Newark, Upper Canada, now called Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It was relocated by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe, who decided, in 1793, that York would provide less exposure to attack from the United States. In the end, both Navy Hall and the Parliament Buildings at York were destroyed in the War of 1812.

Parliament was more or less homeless from 1814 to 1829 and met at various location in York. In 1814 for a single session of the House of Assembly in the ballroom of John Jordan's York Hotel (York, Upper Canada) (c. 1806) in near King and Parliament Streets in downtown Toronto; this building survived until 1846 and now home to the Toronto Sun. From 1815 to 1820, the next session met at the home of Chief Justice William Henry Draper, which they called, "The Lawn", located at the intersection of Wellington and York Streets.

The Third Parliament Buildings on Front Street, in 1856.

By 1820, new Parliament Buildings were erected, with a connecting center block added. Four years later, an overheated chimney flue caused a fire which reduced them to ruins. The site was abandoned and Parliament was homeless once again.

From 1824 to 1829, Parliament met at the newly built York General Hospital (1820 by John Ewart); this delayed the hospital's opening until 1829. The York Hospital later become Toronto General Hospital. Located on the southeast corner of the block bound by King, Adelaide, John and Peter Streets, the hospital in 1854. From 1829 to 1832, Parliament met at the old York County Court House (c.1824) on the north side of King Street between Toronto and Church Streets.

A new Parliament Buildings were erected by 1832 on Front Street, west of Simcoe Street. These third Parliament Buildings were the last to serve Upper Canada, for it dissolved into the Province of Canada in 1841. But the buildings continued to host the legislature of the Province of Canada at various times between 1849 and 1859; during the interim period it housed, part-time home for King's College, law courts, a barracks and an asylum for the insane. It became first parliament buildings of Ontario when the province was created on July 1, 1867. New parliament buildings would eventually be constructed at Queen's Park, replacing the Front Street location in 1893.

The site of the first Parliament Buildings is currently a parking lot at a car dealership. A dig at the site is now documenting the existence of the buildings and there are demands to preserve the site.