[7][8] Planners proposed a public plaza at the south entrance of the city hall called Victoria Square.

The space was to be an urban square with diagonal walkways meeting at a central statue of Queen Victoria, its proposed namesake.

[10] It, too, was never built, though the City Beautiful movement did influence the urban design principles of nearby University Avenue.

Four gargoyles were part of the Clock Tower during the 1899 construction, but were removed due to the effects of the weather on the sandstone carvings in 1938.

[13] Despite its size, Old City Hall proved inadequate for Toronto's growing municipal government within a couple of decades of completion.

[3] Public outcry forced authorities to abandon these plans, and the Eaton Centre was constructed around the landmark civic building and the Church of the Holy Trinity (which was also slated for demolition).

[14] The provincial government is reportedly considering using the building as a temporary home for the Ontario Legislative Assembly once Queen's Park closes in 2026 for extensive renovations.

Situated at the front elevation, its clock tower was placed off centre to provide a terminating vista for Bay Street.

Ultimately, even though the clock tower was off centre, balance was achieved through the repetition of the subtle details of measure and pattern.

The exterior rock-face wall was built in a series of courses, in variable sizes separated by carved bands.

The Romanesque style originated in Europe during the 11th and 12th centuries and had characteristics such as square towers, asymmetrical massing, stone carvings, round arches, and heavy stonework.

Richardson contributed dormers, circular towers with conical roofs, and the use of different-coloured stone for the revival style that bears his name.

Lennox was interested in and was influenced by Richardson's work and travelled to the United States while he was planning his design for Toronto's third city hall in the late 19th century.

The transportation of the stone employed the use of over 1,360 rail-car loads, equivalent to a nine-mile-long (14.5 km) train, to bring the material to the site.

In the arcade upon entering the building from the main entrance on Queen Street, there are murals designed by George Agnew Reid detailing Toronto's pioneers and angels related to their experiences.

The first is discovery saying “hail to the pioneers,” the second is fame, saying “to their names and deeds,” the third is fortune which says “remembered and forgotten,” lastly is adventure saying “we honour here.” On the right side of the arcade is another mural depicting Galinee, Simcoe, Tecumseh, Brock, Osgoode, Baldwin, Laura Secord and Strachan depicting pioneers.

The monumental 16-by-23-foot (4.9 m × 7.0 m) window entitled The Union of Commerce and Industry, depicts civic progress and the "upbuilding" of Toronto.

Also in the vicinity is the 4.5 m-wide (15 ft.) divided stairway, leading to a landing branching east and west to what used to be the county and city divisions of the building.

Surviving original interior includes detailing in wood, plaster, iron, bronze and marble, including a mosaic floor laid by Jacomo Bespirt and family, columns with plaster capitals, faux-marble finishes, woodwork, wrought-iron grotesques and gas lamp standards, and door knobs bearing the city's old coat of arms.

Today, exhibit cabinets that display a collection of photographs and artifacts are found on the main floor of the entrance lobby.

[21] The room, at the top of the tower, enclosed on four sides by timepieces, houses the glass box in which the clock's mechanism sits.

The bourdon also rarely rings for special events like the Bells of Peace program in 2014, which commemorates 100 years since the end of the First World War.

For the 2009 Luminato arts festival, artist Kurt Perschke brought Redball Project to Toronto and temporarily installed a giant red ball in locations around Toronto's downtown core, including inside the central arch of the main entrance to Old City Hall.

In terms of popular culture, the building is sometimes used to film movies and television shows, such as This is Wonderland, Murdoch Mysteries, Flashpoint, Street Legal, Covert Affairs, and Dirty Pictures.

Old City Hall appears in the 1981 children's book Jonathan Cleaned Up — Then He Heard a Sound (or Blackberry Subway Jam) by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko.