Queen's Park is both the name of the oval park at the north end of University Avenue and the Romanesque Revival building at its centre — the Ontario Legislative Assembly, built in 1893. Free tours of the legislative chamber and the ornate interior are available when the legislature is not sitting. The building's pink sandstone exterior, copper roof, and elaborate ironwork make it one of the more architecturally ambitious 19th-century public buildings in Canada.
The park itself is ringed by the University of Toronto campus, which extends outward in all directions from here. U of T's downtown campus is one of the most architecturally varied in North America — Victorian Gothic colleges, Edwardian neo-classical buildings, and modern research facilities are jumbled together across about 70 hectares. Walking through the campus between Hart House, University College, and the ROM makes for an excellent hour of architecture.
During sitting periods, the legislature gallery is open to the public for question period — contact the visitor centre for scheduling. The park is a popular lunch spot for university and downtown workers in summer.