There's something incredibly special about the grand structure which lies at the terminating vista of University Avenue. One can imagine how climbing around on the ornate sandstone and lurking within the legendary attic of the Ontario Legislative Building—otherwise known as Queen’s Park—would bring about emotions rarely felt…
One evening, years ago, this dream came true when the building was undergoing renovations. As per usual, the biggest fault in any security system is the access that is almost always guaranteed from the roof (It never ceases to amaze me how a bit of scaffolding can bring a giant like this to it's knees). That being said, getting on top and inside was far from easy. As I scrambled up the temporary supports, not only was a patrol doing their rounds of the building, but tradesmen were also hard at work throughout the evening—at times even within an arms reach below me.
Up top, I shot the skyline for awhile before trying to make my way into the hidden chambers. After trying a few hatches, eventually I found one that had been left unlocked. Worried about setting off an alarm, I carefully ran my fingers along the contours of the opening to check for wires. Eventually I found the courage to open the hatch up and climb in, and my god was it beautiful: it brought me in to a long mechanical room, with leading lines of I-beams, cables, and wood terminating in sturdy brick walls. But as cool as it was, I didn't feel as though it lived up to the mythical wonder of this attic I had heard so much about, so I climbed back onto the roof and kept searching.
On the opposite side of the building I managed to find another hatch. Unlike before, instead of taking me directly into a room it opened overtop a ladder that went down into a cramped hallway. Feeling more confidant about this one, I followed it to the end of the hall and carefully started opening up doors. Eventually one led out into a junction which splintered into three more dimly lit hallways: some continued upstairs in the mechanical area, another led down into the occupied floors, and one ended with a big steel door. I carefully peaked around for a few minutes, making sure not to set off any alarms, but decided that going down into the main section of the building would surely get me caught. Eventually I ended up examining that strange steel door: it was massive, and when I turned the handle and gave it a push it wouldn’t budge. I gave it a pull, still nothing. It was definitely an antique and I had never seen anything like it. I finally tried giving it a firm tug to the side, as if it was a sliding door on someone’s back porch, and sure enough it slowly rolled open. Eager to get out of that exposed hallway, I cautiously stepped into the unknown, let the mechanism roll close behind me, and quickly darted for a dark corner to catch my breath. While collecting my nerves, my eyes adjusted to the light and everything came into focus. The tales were true: this place and all it's beauty existed and more…
Endless beams of ancient wood were crossing in all directions, supporting platforms that extended far out of sight. Ladders rose from within the pathways and cables hung like spider web—suspending the chaos in place. Wood and metal were indistinguishable as they weaved their way up and around the enormous space which sat silent above the governing body of the province. To my right was a huge circular window, an eye staring out into the city, and to my left was a counter-weight system hanging precariously off the massive industrial door I had just come through. All around me is beautiful wood—smooth and warm—filling the air with the rich smell of aged wood.
The platforms stretched around the perimeter of the attic, every so often protruding out so that they connected with the sloped ceilings matching the angle of the roof. There, access could be gained to these little portals that opened out to the city, giving someone who was willing to squeeze in between little slits in the wood access to floodlights positioned on the turrets of the building. After exploring every nook and cranny of the attic, I returned to a window that looked out onto University Avenue and climbed through so I could sit on the facade of the building. There, I watched as cars broke like water against the edge of Queen’s Park and listened to the quiet dancing of the wind running up the contours of the building.
Everything about this night was perfect.
