Meridian Hall is a performing arts venue in Toronto, Ontario, and it is the country's largest soft-seat theatre. The facility was constructed for the City of Toronto municipal government and is currently managed by TO Live, an arms-length agency and registered charity created by the city. Located at 1 Front Street East, the venue opened as the O'Keefe Centre on October 1, 1960. From 1996 to 2007, the building was known as the Hummingbird Centre for the Performing Arts. From 2007 to 2019, it was known as the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. On September 15, 2019, it was re-branded as Meridian Hall.
Exterior view of Meridian Hall from Front and Yonge Street
Motorcade for Queen Elizabeth II passes the performing arts venue still under construction in 1959
Opening night of the O'Keefe Centre in October 1960
Signage for the performing arts venue from in 2007. From 1996 to 2007, the venue was known as the Hummingbird Centre.
Front Street is an east–west road in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. First laid out in 1796, the street is one of the original streets of the Town of York. The street was laid out along the shoreline of Lake Ontario as it existed during that time. It remains an important street, with many important uses located along it, including the St. Lawrence Market, Meridian Hall, Union Station and the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. The eastern section of Front Street, in the West Don Lands, east of Cherry Street, is being rebuilt as a broad tree-lined boulevard, intended to be the pedestrian-friendly commercial spine of the new neighbourhood.
Front and Bay streets, with Dominion Public Building in background
Front Street, 1804
Flagpole painter looking west on Front Street from Yonge Street, 1907. Photo by William James.
Looking west along Front Street towards the intersection of Front and Church Streets, with the Gooderham Building in the foreground and Brookfield Place behind it