Come for a tour of the Mississauga Civic Centre in the heart of downtown Mississauga. Enjoy a video presentation about Mississauga's past, present and future. View the panorama from the Clock Tower. Visit the Council Chamber to see the Legend of the Bear and the Seven Hunters, and witness where City Council debates the issues that affect the community. Take a walk through the Mayor's Office and, after the tour, have refreshments in the Tower Garden Cafe, wander leisurely through the Art Gallery or visit the Sports Hall of Fame

Civic Centre Tours are held Monday to Friday at the Mississauga Civic Centre, 300 City Centre Drive. Tours require at least five business days advance booking and must have a minimum of five and a maximum of 30 people.

Evening tours are available upon request.

For more information or to book a tour please call 905-615-3200 ext. 5121 or e-mail at civiccentretours@mississauga.ca

Tour Highlights

The Civic Centre, which officially opened in 1987, is a multi-purpose facility for both government and community use. The building was designed by Jones & Kirkland Architects, Toronto. The building received the Governor General Award from the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, which is presented annually and is the highest award for architecture in Canada. It has been declared an architectural landmark and rightly so. The City is very proud that the $59.5 million Civic Centre was built, according to the City's pay-as-you-go policy, without debt. Visit some of the centre's main areas by following the sections on this web page.

Great Hall

As you enter the Civic Centre from the north side, you will come into a world of exceptional beauty and unique design. The Great Hall, as it is appropriately named, consists of marble and granite columns rising more than three stories to a 20-metre-high glass skylight.

It provides a memorable location for a variety of civic and public events and that's not all - the Great Hall made it's filming debut the same year it officially opened. Since then, it has been sought as a location for major motion pictures, television series and commercials starring actors such as Don Johnson, Burt Reynolds and Kathleen Turner. See you in the movies!

Great Stair

At the west side of the Great Hall, the Great Stair rises 17 metres to a spectacular stained glass window. The Great Stair is six metres wide at the top. Many people are surprised to learn that this dramatic marble and granite staircase has only 79 steps.

When you reach the top of the Great Stair you will be on the 4th floor mezzanine where the Sports Hall of Fame is located. It officially opened in 1992, and recognizes the success of local athletes, coaches, managers and others in their pursuit of sporting excellence. The hall contains action photographs of local sports heroes displayed with complete biographies of each inductee. Next to the Hall of Fame is one of the many fitness centres in Mississauga where anyone can go to meet new people and keep in shape.

City Centre Model

Over the Great Stair, a bridge will lead you to the Lesser Hall, where an impressive model of Mississauga's downtown core lets you visualize the entire city centre, present and future.

Council Chamber

From the Great Hall you can go either to the Council Chamber to the east, or the administrative area to the west. You can also get to the Chamber by taking the elevators on the east side to the second floor. When Council and public meetings are not in session, you can only visit the Council Chamber on a guided tour.

The Chamber provides seating for up to 300 people. The names of the 12 municipalities and communities, which now are part of Mississauga, are displayed on the walls according to their geographic location in relation to the Chamber.

One of the most spectacular design features of the Civic Centre is the 30-metre diameter domed ceiling of the Council Chamber which depicts an evening spring sky over Mississauga. A 14-metre Indian with seven birds is central to the design which, in Indian folklore, explains the changing season through the progression of a hunt.

As you leave the Chamber you will notice the five committee rooms in the vicinity. These meeting rooms are available for City and public use. Call the Civic Centre Bookings Office at 615-4242 for more information.

Conservatory

The Conservatory, located on the south side of the Great Hall, is designed to be a restful indoor garden area. Various trees, plants and seasonal flowers, displayed among tropical plants surrounding six columns, make it a unique location to relax with a good book. The Conservatory contains the cornerstone of the Civic Centre, laid in the east corner in 1985.

These are just some of the areas that contribute to making Mississauga's Civic Centre a unique and exciting place to visit.

Other features include a wedding chapel on the second floor, the Mississauga Heritage Foundation on the ground floor, where city souvenirs can be purchased, and the Art Gallery of Mississauga on the southeast corner of the Great Hall. The Art Gallery features exhibitions of community and major artists. Admission is free. Call 896-5088 for viewing hours.

Whether you are attending a function, touring the building, or visiting a City department, parking is free. An indoor parking garage is located on the exterior east side of the building.

Civic Square

The 9,000-square metre Civic Square, on the exterior south side of the Mississauga Civic Centre, consists of gardens and public activity areas. The Square has a reflecting pool which becomes an ice rink in winter, and an amphitheatre which can be booked for a variety of musical and theatrical performances. The Civic Square is also the location of the City's annual Canada Day celebration, which is attended by thousands of people each year.

To the west of the Civic Square is an "English Walled Garden" based on the post modern architecture of the Civic Centre. In 2002, it was formally named The Queen Elizabeth Jubilee Garden in commemoration of Her Majesty the Queen's 50th Anniversary of Her accession to The Throne.

At the south-west corner, a daycare centre, administered by Sheridan College's Early Childhood Education program, offers daycare services to the public.

Central Library

Check out the Central Library in front of the Civic Square. This $43-million facility, which officially opened in October 1991, features 13,500 square metres of interior space offering plenty of study seats and an extensive book collection. All users will appreciate the comprehensive subject departments, audio visual services with extensive video and film collections, and the history department featuring the Ruth Konrad Collection of rare and valuable history books dating back to 1818. The Central Library also offers five meeting rooms, a 257-seat auditorium and a well lit, underground parking garage. This impressive facility is completely accessible to the disabled.

Immediately east of the Central Library, on the north side of Burnhamthorpe Road, you'll find the City's peace memorial, unveiled in October 1992 to honour all those in Mississauga who fought to keep our country free. This unique 36-metre-long memorial with a 27-metre-long waterfall flowing over the inscription "In Memory Of Those Who Gave Their Lives For Freedom", features year-round lighting that comes on at dusk.

Come in person and visit us soon. In our city there is always plenty to see and do. Explore Mississauga and share the excitement!