Toronto Rees Park Playground and Pavillion | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto

[Tuscani01]

It's funny because WT said the same thing at the meeting this week. Comparing the little splash pad at Sugar Beach to something like Crown Fountain in Millennium Park, is kind of insulting. A little squirts of water is no substitution for really interacting with water.

Whenever Waterfront Toronto makes a presentation at community meetings or to the press, they often say that they want to build a place where Torontonians who don't have cottages can experience cottage life in the city on the waterfront. People want to jump off a pier into the water. They want to get wet. A few squirting jets is so Toronto. Luckily, that Toronto is changing and we're starting to think big. I just hope that Waterfront Toronto doesn't miss the final two opportunities to build something with a central focus on water.

Sure, Sugar Beach doesn't offer the level of interaction with water that Crown fountain does, but Sherbourne Common a block away does. The sculptural pylon fountains are pretty stunning at night, and the stream that leads from them has already become a spot for kids to wade and play in. The steps leading into the stream have also become sitting areas in the summer. In the winter, the splash pad becomes an ice rink - extending its use through the winter, whereas Crown Fountain shuts down for the season.

The only difference is the park is still in the middle of a construction zone. Give it 3-5 years and I am sure it will find its place.

If a carbon copy of Crown is the only thing you are looking for, you will forever be disappointed.

That being said, I do agree with @Torontovibe above, in that we need more year-round design for parks, especially on the waterfront. One thing I like at Trillium Park is the addition of a fire pit. It's a great way to attract people to a space in the cold winter months, and the waterfront could use some help during the winter.

 

[TRONto]

Sure, Sugar Beach doesn't offer the level of interaction with water that Crown fountain does, but Sherbourne Common a block away does. The sculptural pylon fountains are pretty stunning at night, and the stream that leads from them has already become a spot for kids to wade and play in. The steps leading into the stream have also become sitting areas in the summer. In the winter, the splash pad becomes an ice rink - extending its use through the winter, whereas Crown Fountain shuts down for the season.

The only difference is the park is still in the middle of a construction zone. Give it 3-5 years and I am sure it will find its place.

If a carbon copy of Crown is the only thing you are looking for, you will forever be disappointed.

Is it working? The last few times I have been by the area in the summer the Sherbourne Commons lights and water feature were shut down.

 

[Tuscani01]

Is it working? The last few times I have been by the area in the summer the Sherbourne Commons lights and water feature were shut down.

I believe the repairs were completed this past summer. I think only the fountain portion was down though. The stream was running every time I went by.

 

[ADRM]

I believe the repairs were completed this past summer. I think only the fountain portion was down though. The stream was running every time I went by.

They had some difficulty with water flow ostensibly as a result of the flooding/high water levels we saw last spring and summer. By some point later in the summer, everything was working as intended.

 

[MetroMan]

I've not seen references to a "cottage experience" and getting in the water in the inner harbor in the WT documentation I've read.

It’s a line that’s repeated ad nauseam at Waterfront Toronto meetings. They don’t mean it literally. The suggestion is that Toronto needs a waterfront backyard where one can go rather than drive out to cottage country while including many of its elements and activities but in an urban context.

It’s plain to see that so far, there have only been token gestures towards interacting with the water. The beach that ends in a cliff off a boardwalk with signs warning not to go in the water. The park with a name that’s a play on words with H2O but that has literally no water at all.

Toronto has a complicated relationship with fountains. I get that. We either don’t build them or we don’t maintain them and they inevitably break down. But that’s not an excuse not to do it. Plenty of cities with cold winters have fountains.

Rees Park is the perfect opportunity to build a place for those visiting the central waterfront to play in the water, kids and adults alike. It’s directly across from HTO Park, salvaging that missed opportunity to fulfill its namesake. It’s large enough that a water feature could make a grand gesture and be noticeable in the context of the wider central waterfront.

I’ve given Crown Fountain as an example because it really is perfect for this location and to fill the missing water activity without dominating the park with a pool or a traditional fountain.

A large granite plaza with water pouring on to it would allow people to choose to just wet their feet in the plaza (Crown Fountain has an effect of walking on water) and others to get right under the water and cool off on a summer day. During the winter, the plaza would still be there and the sources of water could remain as art sculptures.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

A large granite plaza with water pouring on to it would allow people to choose to just wet their feet in the plaza (Crown Fountain has an effect of walking on water) and others to get right under the water and cool off on a summer day. During the winter, the plaza would still be there and the sources of water could remain as art sculptures.

I would be hesitant to be so limiting in our approach - the general idea is to create a space that have the potential to surprise, amuse, delight and provide interaction - and draw people in all year. Crown Fountain is one such example (but by no means the only way) that did not hesitate to present itself in a scale that reflects its ambitions.

AoD

 

[MetroMan]

If a carbon copy of Crown is the only thing you are looking for, you will forever be disappointed.

Not looking for a carbon copy (though I wouldn’t say no if they wanted one). We could build our own grand gesture to water. But for gods sake, don’t miss the final opportunity to do it. People flock to water in the warm months. That means they’ll be going somewhere else other than the dry central waterfront.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Not looking for a carbon copy (though I wouldn’t say no if they wanted one). We could build our own grand gesture to water. But for gods sake, don’t miss the final opportunity to do it. People flock to water in the warm months. That means they’ll be going somewhere else other than the dry central waterfront.

Just think what the Berczy fountain did in terms of impact - and multiply it by one hundred fold. That's what you want.

AoD

 

[Edward Skira]

It’s a line that’s repeated ad nauseam at Waterfront Toronto meetings. They don’t mean it literally. The suggestion is that Toronto needs a waterfront backyard where one can go rather than drive out to cottage country while including many of its elements and activities but in an urban context.

Cottage experience? In fact Toronto is one of the few majors cities that can actually provide that. Toronto Islands especially Ward's and Algonquin fit the bill quite nicely.

 

[MetroMan]

Just think what the Berczy fountain did in terms of impact - and multiply it by one hundred fold. That's what you want.

AoD

I think so too. But enough teasing with views of the water. Let people get wet. A pretty fountain isn’t enough.

Of equal importance, whatever is built here is going to occupy *the* iconic spot on the central waterfront, right below the SkyDome and CN Tower. We can’t just build some generic patch of grass and trees here. Hopefully it’ll cover the Gardiner too.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

I think so too. But enough teasing with views of the water. Let people get wet. A pretty fountain isn’t enough.

Of equal importance, whatever is built here is going to occupy *the* iconic spot on the central waterfront, right below the SkyDome and CN Tower. We can’t just build some generic patch of grass and trees here. Hopefully it’ll cover the Gardiner too.

I am less concerned about the particulars (water feature vs. something else) for this site, and more on the impact itself. Personally I think this site is probably less suitable than York Park for signature treatment however.

AoD

 

[ADRM]

I don't know if the water quality in our central waterfront would allow for it (and if not, further cleanup to make it so is probably a worthwhile goal to shoot for), but I've always really fancied some direct water's edge interaction like so:

Oslo opera house:

source

Helsinki

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Zadar

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Copenhagen

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Seoul

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And, back in the realm of fantasy (but if it can be done in the East River it can be done anywhere):

source

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

The Zadar waterfront is gorgeous - and the Sea Organ is amazing:

That's the kind of interaction with the water we should have, but was prevented from having because "safety".

AoD

 

[ADRM]

The Zadar waterfront is gorgeous - and the Sea Organ is amazing:

That's the kind of interaction with the water we should have, but was prevented from having because "safety".

AoD

Yeah, totally amazing. One of my least favourite signs in Toronto is the one that tells you not to play in the water at Sherbourne Common south of QQ which, thankfully, many people and dogs willful ignore.

 

[AlvinofDiaspar]

Yeah, totally amazing. One of my least favourite signs in Toronto is the one that tells you not to play in the water at Sherbourne Common south of QQ which, thankfully, many people and dogs willful ignore.

Yeah, clearly Torontonians are so stupid as to not know the art of self preservation when everyone else in the world seem to have no problem with it.

AoD