Coronation Park restoration is complete

The multi-phase restoration of Coronation Park, on the waterfront south of Fort York, was finished early this summer. It’s a lovely example of an updated heritage landscape.

A living memorial to Canadian soldiers, particularly of the First World War, it was opened on May 12, 1937, the day of King George VI’s coronation. Each tree stands for a unit of the Canadian Corps, a part of the British Empire, or an arm of the Imperial service (and there are also trees for a handful of other Canadian campaigns).

Led by Brendan Stewart and Rui Félix for ERA architects, the project’s aim was not to merely reproduce the design of 1937 but, with due respect to the gravity of its theme, make the design legible to a modern audience. They made careful choices. The new paths follow the curves of the originals – and so restore the visible order of the plantings – but two short lengths were eliminated: one is now a dead end, while the other would have taken down a stand of healthy evergreens.

The original trees were all silver maple (except the King’s own, which is oak) but the 18 replacements that were needed intentionally diversify the park’s canopy: added were four red maple, two tulip, six American sycamore, three black gum and three basswood. A few other maples planted earlier in memory of someone (or, in one case, the Merchant Navy) were incorporated into the unified design. Another maple planted perhaps 15 years ago in the place of the Canadian Army Medical Corps has a marker with an oddly misplaced quotation from Emily Carr: “It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw.”

The original markers were of metal in granite, written with military abbreviation and placed at the foot of each tree. Surviving originals have been left in place but each tree also has a new granite version embedded at the edge of the path and worded in plain English. They were engraved by Premier Jet, a small firm in Lac-Drolet, Quebec.

Four interpretive columns cogently explain the creation, planting and layout of the park. Designed by Debbie Adams, they use text and photos from Heritage Toronto. The park’s elegant benches are by Soheil Mosun and repeat the pattern of the Music Garden.

Undermining the entire aesthetic – as they do in every highdesign park – are those ubiquitous big plastic bins for garbage and recycling. Demanded by bean-counters and designed for the convenience of machines, they’re an ongoing travesty.

The contractor of Phase 1 last year was Bond Paving & Construction, and of Phase 2, Mopal Construction. They did a fine job. On the park’s theory and origin, including the 1937 map, see Sandra Shaul, “Coronation Park is being restored,” F&D April 2019. Photos by the F&D