cityscape
The Evolving Landscape of St. James Park
The presence and removal of Occupy Toronto are only the latest in a series of many changes in this history-rich site's appearance.
A man enjoys two forms of sunshine in St. James Park during the late 1970s. The park was partly conceived to provide a spot for office workers to relax during their lunch hour. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 302, Item 4.
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- Exterior of St. James Cathedral, northeast corner of King and Church Streets, 1923. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 83.
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- Section of Toronto survey map, 1950s. City of Toronto Archives.
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- Looking west at St. James Park from Jarvis Street, circa 1978–1979, City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 302, Item 10.
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- Looking south toward St. Lawrence Hall and CIBC branch, circa 1978–1979. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 302, Item 9.
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- Sketch of the St. James Park Bandshell, circa 1977–1981. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 27, Item 8.
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- Sketch of the proposed Victorian garden, circa 1977–1981. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 27, Item 7.
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- A model of a gateway to St. James Park. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1465, File 27, Item 10.
With the eviction of Occupy Toronto, St. James Park will gradually return to its former, emptier condition. But the temporary landscaping changes the protesters created with their signs, tents, and yurts did not constitute the first physical redesign of the park. Over the course of the past 50 years, as this gallery shows, the site has gone from housing 19th-century commercial buildings to Victorian-inspired landscaping.
