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On Saturday, September 17, Lee Lifeson Art Park opened in North York's Willowdale neighbourhood. The park is named after iconic musicians Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson, two childhood residents of the neighbourhood who went on form the Rock band Rush in 1968. Rush, known for their hits "Closer To The Heart", "Tom Sawyer" and "Subdivisions", was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013. That same year Ward 23 Councillor Jon Fillion began efforts to name the proposed park space at Princess and Hillcrest Avenues, immediately east of Gladys Allison Place after these two legendary musicians.
Nearly two hundred people gathered despite rainy weather to watch the the official ceremonies which included Mayor John Tory presenting the Key to the City to the two musicians. The band's drummer, Neil Peart who hails from Hamilton, also received a key although he was not present at the Park's opening ceremonies.
This is the second time Mayor Tory has bestowed a distinguished Torontonian with the Key to the City since he presented Aubrey "Drake" Graham with one in February of this year. Before Lee and Lifeson were presented with their key Canadian folk singer Jacob Moon played a song in tribute to the band after which the duo was interviewed by George Strombolopolous. Mayor Tory praised the park being named after Lifeson and Lee not only because of their international renown, but because they had given back to the city in the form of a performance at a benefit concert during the city's 2003 SARS outbreak, among others.
Toronto landscape architecture firm The Planning Partnership took the lead role in designing the Lee Lifeson Art Park, with Public Studio overseeing the public art installations. The park is approximately 7,000 square metres and serves as a link between the linear spaces of Willowdale Park North and Willowdale Park South. The southern part of Willowdale Park North, as well as some space reclaimed from developer owned buildings, was converted to create the new park.
The "Art Park" fittingly boasts an intimate amphitheatre designed by Forrec with three levels of seating along with tables, chairs and monumental potted floral displays on the top level. The amphitheatre's support building on the park's eastern border follows the curvature of the performance space and features a mosaic mural of Lifeson and Lee by Paul Raff Studio.
Meandering paths, towering trees, aspiring saplings and lush floral arrangements outfit the greenspace surrounding the ampitheatre. Wood and steel benches as well as large stones provide seating for visitors to enjoy enjoy live entertainment and the natural ambiance simultaneously.
While Speak and Listen (above) transmits sound between two points like homemade tin-can-and-sting phones, The Hornucopia's horns (below) can be rotated to amplify sounds from the park, including birds!
When presenting the key to Lifeson and Lee, Mayor Tory spoke of two wishes he has for the park. The first is that it will become a community space for North Yorkers to commune to enjoy music and the arts (in fact, North York Arts has already created programming to be held in the new space starting next month), while the second was that the park will inspire youngsters like Lee and Lifeson, who met while attending the neighbourhood's Fisherville Junior High School, to create art and make their city proud.
