This is Toronto's attempt to create an Old-World, European civic centre experience in a New-World, North American setting.
it was a noble experiment, begun way back in the 'dark' ages, when Canadians from coast-to-coast-to-Arctic-coast universally despised Canada's largest city, and called it "Toronto-the-Good" (at best), and "Hogtown" (most of the rest of the time....)
In a bold attept to 'modernize', the city fathers -- and sadly, there were few city mothers, back then -- decided to hire an Icelandic architect to design a "new" City Hall.... It dominates the north side of the square.
The ancient Victorian city hall (on the east side) is infinitely more architecturally attractive. Somehow, it has miraculously survived the wrecking cranes -- with a tallish clock tower, and a bell that rings the time accurately, every fifteen minutes... most of the time.
On the west side is Osgoode Hall, surrounded by a beautiful (but successfully imposing) 19th-century rot iron fence. It's home to the Law Society of Upper Canada. Unless you're a lawyer, don't even begin to ask what that means, or who they are.... Simply trying to get into the buidling could result in an immediate ticket to JAIL -- Do not pass GO! Do not collect $200!
To the south is Queen Street -- a major east/west throroughfare, with one of the city's very few 24-hour StreetCar routes. It will take you from "the Beaches" in the extreme east end, to almost any destination you can possibly image in the wild, Wild West.
It's twenty-five kilometres long, and would provide an excellent -- and CHEAP! -- first-time tourist introduction to many aspects of the contemporary city.
In the NW quarter of Nathan Phillips Square is a large bronze scupture called "The Archer" by British artist Henry Moore. It was commissioned by Toronto City Council, under then Mayor Nathan Phillips, when the new city hall was being planned and built. The Archer alone is worth the price of admission -- which happens to be free, 24/7, twelve months of the year.
Shortly after the piece was commissioned, the city fathers learned that Mr. Moore had already agreed to sell and send a second bronze casting of the same piece to another city , somewhere in Scandinavia. When the good citzens of "Toronto the Good" got wind of this artistic dupliity, they rose up and raised significant funds -- several millions of dollars, by today's standards! -- to compensate the creator for any out-out-pocket expenses he might incur by not making a copy....
Moore was so impressed that he later donated the bulk of his lifelong sculptural output to the Art Gallery of Ontario, which is within walking distance of "The Square" itself!
By far the best time to visit is in the middle of a cold Canadian winter, when the sizeable reflecting pool in the middle is magically transformed into a public skating rink. Recent mmigrants from around the world lace up rented blades, and achieve honourary Canadian citizenship by ankle skating -- with smiles that stretch from ear-to-ear, for hours and hours!
To visit there and then is to experience the "heart" of Canada!