2.4K 
A few decades after a public park was constructed atop an underground parking garage at Toronto's heritage landmark College Park—a redevelopment of the Eaton's College Street store which had been on the site previously—the public space was showing signs of age at the same time as the waterproofing membrane atop the parking garage required replacement. Re-waterproofing the garage required the removal of everything above it, providing an opportunity for a full redesign of the park.
The revitalization of College Park and its Barbara Ann Scott skiing rink started in early 2016 with the park's clearance. By Fall of that year, replacement of the waterproof membrane had begun, and by late 2017, the first signs of the park's new skate trail, pavilion, and walking paths—with design work by landscape architects The MBTW Group and architects RAW Design—were evident.
Following slower progress over the winter, the most recent photos of the site show clear progress on various elements of the park. The concrete pad of the five-metre-wide kidney-shaped skate trail is complete, as well as the concrete structure of the adjacent skate pavilion. Forming has also begun for the feature water basin that the trail surrounds, and earth berms are in place, ultimately to feature extensive planting.
Other features continue to take shape surrounding the trail and pavilion. The main pathways and plazas providing access to the park are in the process of being repaved in a grid pattern, while the first tree plantings are visible throughout the park. You could be skating here this winter!
Additional information and renderings of the rebuilt park can be found in our database file for the project, linked below. Want to get involved in the discussion? Check out the associated Forum thread, or leave a comment in the field provided at the bottom of this page.
| Related Companies: | RAW Design |
