Project Framework
INTRODUCTION OF RELIC PARK
Relic Park refers to a new linear public realm from Campbell House Museum to the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Relic Park will create a green corridor through the Grange neighbourhood. This linear park will transform the edges of streets into gathering places for Toronto residents and visitors. There will be a vibrant pedestrian zone running along an underused section of Simcoe Street, across the effectively invisible Michael Sweet Avenue, and up busy St. Patrick Street. Artistically carved and dressed stone fragments from demolished historic buildings preserved at Guild Park and Gardens by Rosa and Spencer Clark will define the route and be integrated into the park’s landscape design. Relic Park will recall the city’s past and encourage people to ponder the city’s evolving urban form. In this revitalized pedestrian zone, lively community activities will be facilitated by Campbell House
Museum and the Grange Community Association.
Relic Park re-imagines a series of urban streets as a linear park dedicated to Toronto’s architectural past. Carved and dressed stones salvaged long ago from demolished architectural landmarks and surplus to the collection will be brought from Scarborough’s Guild Park and Gardens . The architectural relics will be celebrated in a fresh and innovative progression of green parkettes and focal points, bringing together history, culture, art and nature.
Relic Park will form an important pedestrian corridor between the AGO and the Four Seasons Centre for opera and ballet, linking these cultural landmarks through the evolving, but still predominantly residential, Grange neighbourhood.
GOALS & OBJECTIVES
• Showcase the architectural carvings and stone panels in a fresh and creative interpretive format.
• Improve the quality of the public realm through a Master Planned progression of nodes and parkettes.
• Improve the quality of the public realm experience through the creation of a variety of flexible spaces
that can be programmed to serve the greater community.
• Emphasize a pedestrian-oriented environment that provides sufficient walkways, cycle routes and
enhanced landscape features.
• Encourage adjacent private properties to coordinate with the park design to maximize the
park’s benefits.
• Develop a sense of stewardship and stewardship skills in the local community and increase the
community’s and visitors’ appreciation of heritage.
• Expand the reach of the audience for the Guild stone collection by raising awareness of Guild
Park and Gardens and making strong connections between Scarborough and downtown.
CONNECTING SCARBOROUGH AND DOWNTOWN
Since amalgamation in 1998, the City has striven to make connections between the suburbs and downtown and to forge one strong, but diverse city. An important goal of Relic Park is to raise awareness of the display of architectural stone carvings in the magnificent natural setting at Guild Park and Gardens, through signage and programming. The public’s experience of downtown Relic Park is expected to increase visitors to Guild Park and Gardens. It will also further the Clarks’ original purpose to preserve and make accessible fragments of Toronto’s architectural past.
CITY OF TORONTO QUALITY CRITERIA
Relic Park will meet all ten quality criteria for the public realm cited in Downtown Parks and Public Realm Plan
HUMAN SCALE & CONNECTING TO NATURE
Human scale is important in the public realm as our city grows taller and the opportunity to interact with nature becomes more elusive. Bringing back elements of nature, encouraging native plant communities, and providing opportunities for fauna to move through the city are achievable strategies that enrich our urban lives.
Our digital world increasingly detaches us from a “grounded” lifestyle. Relic Park presents an opportunity to unlock a way of living that was once commonplace, but will be fresh and new to many residents. The simple act of going outside and enjoying the moment is a subconscious human need, and the linear park can respond by offering a variety of passive yet stimulating experiences.
Relic Park will be akin to the typical European square where people are moving about within the space, yet there is a sense of calm. Pockets and rows of trees provide human scale and a sense of enclosure to sit and peer into the active zones while providing sanctuary to read, sun-bathe or meet friends. Vehicular traffic is restricted in the pedestrian zone, immediately reducing the frantic energy of a regular street. Bicycles flow through the space at a human speed while earthworks, buildings and plants buffer the ambient sounds of the city.