Tag: EasternAv

Underpass Park is truly an interesting and unique place in Toronto. Opened on August 2, 2012, the Park is located under the Eastern Avenue, Richmond and Adelaide overpasses. The actual address is 168 Eastern Avenue.

Designed to transform derelict and underused space, the park takes full advantage of the concrete beams and columns of the overpasses to create a unique and inviting community asset and provide year round weather protection.

This unique public space is part of Waterfront Toronto’s revitalization efforts of the West Don Lands neighbourhood. It serves to link Corktown Common, River Square and the neighbourhoods of both sides of the overpass complex through the provision of safe and animated public realm design.

Mirage

A public art layer was integrated into the underside of the structure to interact with the lighting scheme and to reduce the oppressive character of the heavy structures above. A portion of the overpass ceiling is adorned with a reflective public art piece entitled Mirage, created by Paul Raff Studio in 2012. This mirrored artwork dramatically brightens the covered spaces, adding to the interplay of natural light during the day and becoming its own piece of magic at night when the park lighting scheme is fully employed.

Playground & Recreation Facilities

A sizable playground is located in the middle section of the park, between St. Lawrence Street and River Street. The eastern-most section of the park, east of River Street, includes two basketball half-courts, and an extensive skatepark featuring a series of obstacles, rails and ledges. There is also a flexible open space that can be used for community events:

The Locals

Several of the figures on the pillars are caricatures of local residents:

Designed by landscape architects PFS Studio with The Planning Partnership, Underpass Park is part of an ongoing effort to transform pockets of neglected urban spaces on the waterfront into valued public amenities.

The Park is another project of the developer WaterfrontToronto, a joint effort of the Federal, Provincial and Municipal governments, created in 2001. Their focus is to create parks, public art, infrastructure and buildings that combine to create vibrant waterfront neighbourhoods, for example, The Bentway and Underpass Park; these gave unused spaces a new life.

Underpass Park is the 18th public space that the WaterfrontToronto group has built or revitalized since 2005 in the Toronto waterfront district.