Osgoode is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway/RT system

Toronto subway and RT

The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...

 in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Ontario

Ontario

Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Osgoode Station is located at 250 University Avenue

University Avenue (Toronto)

University Avenue is a major north-south road in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. At its north end, University Avenue is the site of the Ontario Legislative Building. The eight-lane wide street is the location for several hospitals, numerous office buildings, Osgoode Hall and the Four Seasons...

 at Queen Street West

Queen Street West

Queen Street West describes both the western branch of Queen Street, a major east-west thoroughfare, and a series of neighbourhoods or commercial districts, situated west of Yonge Street in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Queen Street begins in the west at the intersection of King Street, The...

. Osgoode Station was opened in 1963, and is named for the nearby Osgoode Hall

Osgoode Hall

Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...

.

History and construction

Osgoode is a centre platform station, constructed using the cut-and-cover method.

When Osgoode Station was built, some utility lines were relocated away from the station to allow for a future "Lower Osgoode" station on the projected but never-built Queen Street subway

Queen Street subway

The Queen Street subway line was one of many subway lines planned for Toronto, Canada, but never built by the Toronto Transit Commission.-1911 proposal:...

, but unlike at Lower Queen

Queen (TTC)

Queen is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 171 Yonge Street at Queen Street West/East.-Entrances:The main entrances are at the intersection of Yonge and Queen streets...

, no actual construction took place. When it opened, Osgoode, like St. Andrew Station

St. Andrew (TTC)

St. Andrew is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the Toronto, Ontario, Canada subway. It is located at 147 University Avenue at King Street West. It opened in 1963, named for the nearby St...

, boasted Vitrolite

Vitrolite

Vitrolite was an opaque pigmented glass manufactured by Pilkington Brothers in the United Kingdom and The Vitrolite Company then Libbey Owens Ford in the United States...

 tiles on its walls. Cracks resulting from the high water table at the station forced the TTC to cover over most of these tiles in the 1970s with vertical panels along the outer walls of the tracks and ceramic tiles on the platform walls.
Entrances were all built as open stairwells, with the panel above the lintel emblazoned with the scales of justice, which referenced the Superior Court of Justice

Ontario Superior Court of Justice

The Superior Court of Justice is the superior court of general jurisdiction for the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is the successor to the former Ontario Court of Justice , and was created on April 19, 1999...

 at Osgoode Hall. Subsequent refurbishment resulted in a generic TTC style replacing the unique symbolism. In 2006 a new entrance, with elevator access to the concourse level, was integrated into the construction of the Four Seasons Centre

Four Seasons Centre

The Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts is a 2,071-seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada which had its grand opening Wednesday, June 14, 2006. The first actual performance however, commenced in September 2006 with the first Canadian production of Richard Wagner's Der Ring Des Nibelungen...

, at the southeast corner of Queen and University. Along with an elevator to the platform level within the fare paid area, this makes the station fully accessible. Current plans call for Diamond and Schmitt Architects

Diamond and Schmitt Architects

Diamond and Schmitt Architects Incorporated is an architectural practice founded in 1975 and located in Toronto, Ontario Canada. The firm currently employs 137 people.-History:...

, who were responsible for the opera house, to design complementary covered entrances at the other three corners of the intersection.
Unspecified plans also call for the upgrade of the platform level, as part of a program to modernize several older stations.

Nearby landmarks

Nearby landmarks include the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto City Hall

Toronto City Hall

The City Hall of Toronto, Ontario, Canada is the home of the city's municipal government and one of its most distinctive landmarks. Designed by Finnish architect Viljo Revell and landscape architect Richard Strong, and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel, the building opened in 1965...

, Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips Square

Nathan Phillips Square is an urban plaza that forms the forecourt to Toronto City Hall, or New City Hall, at the intersection of Queen Street West and Bay Street, and named for Nathan Phillips, mayor of Toronto from 1955 to 1962. The square opened in 1965, and, as with the City Hall, the square was...

, Osgoode Hall

Osgoode Hall

Osgoode Hall is a landmark building in downtown Toronto constructed between 1829 and 1832 in the late Georgian Palladian and Neoclassical styles. It houses the Ontario Court of Appeal, the Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice, and the Law Society of Upper Canada...

, the South African War Memorial

South African War Memorial (Toronto)

The South African War Memorial is a memorial located at University Avenue and Queen Street West in Toronto.Commissioned in 1910, largely as the result of the efforts of James Mason, and designed by Walter Seymour Allward to commemorate Canada's participation in the Boer War, it consists of three...

, 299 Queen Street West, the Canada Life Building

Canada Life Building

The Canada Life Building is a historic office building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fifteen-floor Beaux Arts building was built by Sproatt & Rolph and stands at , including its weather beacon....

 and the United States Consulate.

Surface connections

No buses or streetcars enter the station and so a transfer is required to connect between surface routes and subway at this station.

• 141 Downtown/Mt Pleasant Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 142 Downtown/Avenue Road Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 143 Downtown/Beach Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 144 Downtown/Don Valley Express - rushhour only, extra fare required
• 501 Queen
• 502 Downtowner

External links

• Lower Osgoode on Transit Toronto