CLARENCE SQUARE
Toronto, ON

Clarence Square is one of Toronto’s oldest planned public spaces and is one of the few examples of Georgian Town Planning in the downtown. Situated on the West end of Wellington Street Clarence Square shares a strong connection to Victoria Memorial Park to the East end.

At one time lined with Georgian homes and emerging as a central location in Toronto the square began to fall into disrepair as the neighbourhood areas became industrialized. Today, with shifting societal demographics, condominium and mixed-use developments emerging in the immediate context, there became a need for a re-envisioned square and public realm that respected its historical beginnings, and preserved the mature trees on site with the highest priority.

As a result, these site constraints became design opportunities and the site was treated with a light ecological hand that preserved trees, wound paths through areas of least interference, and distinguished the previously conflicting site programming with passive and active recreational areas, and dedicated dog priority zones. Together, this fostered a new sense of place while preserving historical integrity.