A network of parks and public spaces is being planned for the heart of Toronto.
The city is moving forward with plans for its proposed Relic Linear Park network, which would bring a new linear path to improve public space, including two parking spaces, to the Grange Park neighborhood.
This community-led vision will incorporate architectural relict stones – similar to those at Guild Park and Gardens – and Indigenous artwork to form a pathway of art and public spaces extending between Queen Street West and Dundas Street West via Simcoe Street, Michael Sweet, meanders Avenue and St. Patrick Street.
The plan calls for two new parks: one on St. Patrick St. south of Dundas St W and another on the northeast corner of Dundas St W and McCaul St.
St Patrick Street Park
This area south of Dundas will be 1,000 square meters, about the size of two tennis courts, and will be connected to Simcoe Street via a private public access area (POPS).
Native trees and plantings, as well as plenty of seating and tables, would be incorporated to create a flexible space for hosting community events.
The centerpiece of St. Patrick Park will be a sculpture by Anishinaabe artist Michael Belmore entitled “Mishibizhiig: The Underwater Panther,” which will stand among repurposed colonial-era architectural relics.
Belmore’s sculpture consists of granite blocks of Canadian origin engraved with hand-carved bas-relief images of Mishibizhiig – or underwater panthers from the Anishinaabe faith.
Combining the shape of a lynx-like body with metallic scales, horns and the tail of a snake, the Mishibizhiig is depicted in the sculpture in a style reminiscent of the European-inspired gargoyles and bas-reliefs seen on the architectural relics that have survived to the public line the room.
Dundas Street West Park
This second park, on the northeast corner of Dundas St. West and McCaul St., would be among Toronto’s smallest parks at just 261 square meters, about three-quarters the size of a regulation basketball court.
While it may seem a bit cozy, the park will be connected to a POPS at its eastern end and will serve as a gateway to the broader Relic Linear Park System.
Similar to St. Patrick Park, Dundas Parkette will also focus on Indigenous art.
The park will feature a series of steel I-beams, a nod to the Mohawk (Haudenosaunee) ironworkers, or “Skywalkers,” who have been revered for over a century for their bravery in building bridges and skyscrapers.
Complementing these frames, an illuminated artwork by Jay Havens, artist and citizen of the Mohawk-Bear clan from Six Nations of the Grand River, is intended to evoke Mohawk pottery, with traditional patterns that allow light to pass through and lure passersby into the room after dark .
The city is currently asking residents for feedback on the newly presented parking concepts, which can be voted on publicly until November 12, 2023.
Once the ongoing community engagement and design development phase is complete, the project is expected to enter the detailed design phase in 2024. Construction is scheduled to begin in early 2025.
The parks are currently expected to open at an unspecified date in 2025.