Торонто қалалық алаңы: Нейтан Филлипс алаңы

Public square in Downtown Toronto

Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and is named after Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. The square was designed by the City Hall's architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong. It opened in 1965. The square is the site of concerts, art displays, a weekly farmers' market, the winter festival of lights, and other public events, including demonstrations. During the winter months, the reflecting pool is converted into an ice rink for ice skating. The square attracts an estimated 1.5 million visitors yearly. With an area of , it is Canada's largest city square. Nathan Phillips Square is used regularly for art exhibits, concerts, rallies and other ceremonies. Annual events include a New Year's Eve Party and the Cavalcade of Lights Festival lighting of the official Christmas tree. The annual Nuit Blanche art festival sets up art exhibits in the square, and has also utilized the parking garage located underneath the square.

The square is rectangular in shape, with the edge of the city hall meeting the square on an angle on the north side. The main portion of the square is paved with two sizes of reinforced concrete slabs. The square has a reflecting pool, a peace garden, a permanent stage and several sculptures, including Three Way Piece No.2: Archer by Henry Moore. Around the remaining perimeter of the square runs an elevated concrete walkway. Outside the walkway are treed lawns dotted with various other memorials and monuments, such as Oscar Nemon's statue of Sir Winston Churchill (c. 1977), The square is property of the City of Toronto. Smoking is prohibited in the entire square.

The elevated concrete walkway connects to the podium of the City Hall at the height of its roof and extends around the perimeter of the square. Staircases connect the walkway to the floor of the square in several locations. On the south side, the walkway extends across Queen Street to the Sheraton Hotel. On the west side, the walkway is connected to the back of the permanent stage, which also serves as a grand staircase. The walkway is closed during winter months.

The Peace Garden was created as a memorial to the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, as well as the "commitment of Torontonians to the principle of world peace." As part of the redesign of the square, the Peace Garden was moved from the centre of the square to its western edge.

The reflecting pool is situated in the south east corner of the square. Spanning the reflecting pool are three concrete arches; originally just an architectural feature and support for rink lighting, these were dedicated as the Freedom Arches in 1989, to commemorate those who fought to obtain or defend freedom. At the same time, a piece of the Berlin Wall was placed at the southern base of the central arch. From 1910s leading up to World War II, the immigrant neighbourhood was gradually settled and developed by the Chinese immigrants into Toronto's first Chinatown.

Following World War II, the City of Toronto government prepared to construct a civic square in Chinatown, through a by law which prohibited further development except for public purposes or parking lots. The businesses on that side of the street included two burlesque theatres, pawn shops and a cinema. The south side was vacant at the time of the City Hall opening but was eventually occupied by a new hotel, connected by a pedestrian bridge over Queen Street to the square. The rink was completed before other features in the square, and was officially opened by Mayor Philip Givens on Sunday, 29 November 1964. This was also the first operational part of the new City Hall. It was rushed to completion before the December 1964 municipal election. The rest of the square and City Hall was formally completed in September 1965. To add decoration to the square, City Hall architect Viljo Revell wanted a sculpture by British sculptor Henry Moore. He selected the Three Way Piece No. 2 (The Archer) at a cost of over Its purchase was controversial. Toronto Mayor Philip Givens was in favour of the purchase, but some objected to the cost and to the abstract design. The City Council rejected the purchase of the sculpture, but its purchase was funded by a public subscription fund, and the sculpture was installed in 1966. After the 1972 Summit Series, the Canadian men's ice hockey win was feted with a public ceremony hosted by the mayor and the Ontario Premier. Since the 1980s, the square has been used as the set for a number of films, such as The Kidnapping of the President, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, and The Sentinel. Khalsa Day is celebrated annually at the square with a day of music and food.

A design competition was launched in the start of October 2006, soliciting proposals from forty eight local and international firms for a revitalization of the square, and, on March 8, 2007, it was announced that the team led by PLANT Architect Inc. and Shore Tilbe Irwin + Partners (both of Toronto) had won the competition. The project was first estimated to cost CAD$45 million, but its final cost is expected to tally $60 million. Originally intended to be completed in 2012, the project is expected to be completed in 2014. The design is based on the idea that Nathan Phillips Square has always acted as an agora, the ancient Athenian place of public and political exchange, with the design defining the concept of the open space of theatre and that of the public squarea theatre for the city, and a square surrounded by a forested perimeter. The roof garden includes diverse plantings of sedums, perennials, and trees; a Central Courtyard beneath the Council Chamber; a Public Terrace at the southeast corner of the roof, shaded by a tree planter; benches and shade structures designed to reveal the movement of the sun; and a perimeter path which acts as a walking and running circuit around the roof. New lighting has been installed, including new high efficiency LED floodlights and a perimeter light band, to allow evening events to take place.

In 2011, after the death of federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton, citizens flocked to the square and covered the walls, pillars and statues with messages written in chalk for Layton and his family. During the 2015 Pan American Games, Nathan Phillips Square was one of the sites of "Panamania", a cultural festival held in conjunction with the Games. Two temporary stages were installed and a platform for performances was installed over part of the reflecting pool. Each evening during the Games, the square was the site of musical concerts, a medal celebration and fireworks. The square also held a count down clock for the Games, and a "pop up" store for Pan Am and Para PanAm souvenirs. A large, multi colored illuminated 3 D Toronto sign was also installed in the square for the Games; the sign quickly proved to be popular with locals and tourists alike. The sign was to be relocated elsewhere at the end of 2015, however on September 13, 2015, it was announced that the sign will remain in the square permanently. The square was the host venue for the closing ceremonies of the 2015 Parapan American Games. Nathan Phillips Square was also a venue for Wheelchair tennis for the 2017 Invictus Games. After the Toronto Raptors won the 2019 NBA Finals, the subsequent parade on June 17, 2019, in Toronto culminated at Nathan Phillips Square, with two million people in total attendance, the largest public gathering in one place for one event in Canadian history; a shooting broke out in a portion of the square where four people were shot and injured.