conservative city to a modern multicultural metropolis. On March 23, 1959, Phillips welcomed exiled King Peter II of Yugoslavia on an official tour to City Hall. Under Phillips's direction, the City of Toronto pursued an aggressive agenda of demolishing heritage structures throughout the city in order to 'modernize.' Large blocks of downtown were purchased and razed and many landmark buildings and neighbourhoods were destroyed such as the University Avenue Armouries, the Chorley Park estate, the General Post Office (built in 1873 in the Second Empire style, and the most expensive federal building ever constructed in Canada), Toronto's original Jewish community (called the Ward) around Old City Hall, and Toronto's Old Chinatown. Old City Hall itself narrowly escaped being demolished and Fort York survived a council vote to be moved to Coronation Park after the Toronto Historical Association rallied public support. Nathan Phillips is best remembered as the driving force behind the construction of Toronto's New City Hall and the selection of a striking avant-garde design by Finnish architect Viljo Revell. Phillips served five terms as mayor before being defeated in the 1962 Toronto municipal election by Donald Dean Summerville. Legacy Nathan Phillips Square was named in his honour. In 2005, a proposal to sell the naming rights to Nathan Phillips Square unleashed a storm of opposition from many Torontonians, including Phillips's grandchildren. The proposal was withdrawn. References Nathan Phillips. Mayor of All the People McClelland and Stewart, 1967 1892 births 1976 deaths Lawyers in Ontario Canadian King's Counsel Conservative Party of Canada (1867–1942) candidates for the Canadian House of Commons Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario candidates in Ontario provincial elections Mayors of Toronto Metropolitan Toronto councillors People from Brockville Jewish mayors of places in Canada