LEE LIFESON ART PARK
Toronto, ON

In the heart of North York, a once passive park connecting two streets has been completely redesigned as a focal point of the neighborhood, and a place for gathering friends and family, a place for musical performance, and perhaps most importantly, a place for artistic and interpretative expression.

Situated within the park, under a mature canopy of trees, are meandering pathways that not only wind through the urban woodland, but they take the park user on a journey of public art that is interactive and connects people with an adjacent musical landscape, complete with an amphitheater for musical and dramatic performance, and complementary sculptural installations such as sound chambers, amplifiers, connected singing lines, toward a truly dynamic landscape that embraces each users ambitions in the park, along with many beautiful interactive opportunities to better connect with art, music, within the naturalized woodland context.

The park is part of the linear park system east of Doris Avenue in North York. The parkland was created through a land assembly by the municipality to establish a destination for arts and culture in North York. The project incorporates 4 major art installations by Paul Raff and Public Studio, including a commemorative piece to Lee and Lifeson integrated into the façade of a new pavilion designed by the team. The park design also incorporated gardens, passive park areas, seating, and walkways.

The Planning Partnership was the lead consulting firm for the project. The work included conceptual design, detailed design, cost estimating, contract document preparation and site review. The project also incorporated a significant public and stakeholder engagement process, which was designed and facilitated by our team. That process included meetings with the Councillor, arts and culture service representatives, and the community at large.