Welcome to a new park in the neighbourhood - well, new enough anyway.
This site has a storied past - In 1984, this lot was originally planned to have a world class opera house. Through years of planning and with final approvals and all buildings demolished on the site, this project was set to start in 1990. Unfortunately, due to a recession, the provincial government of the time cut the project and the site remained in limbo, even while the rest of the neighbourhood grew up around it. For years this land was kept fallow, until it was sold back to the city in 2011. With community support, a plan was made to put a park here, and following years of consultations and construction, it finally came.
Dr. Lillian McGregor Park opened on May 9th, 2023 - in fact I was there for the opening, after several years of construction in developing a nearby condominium project, and rebuilding a parking garage that's underneath this park.
Located at 25 Wellesley St. West, the new 6,400 square metre park is named for Dr. Lillian McGregor of White Fish River First Nation. The park’s design is inspired by the crane, which is Dr. McGregor’s family clan sign, as well as the rock outcrops, water and reeds of her childhood home on Birch Island. The park creates a small natural refuge in downtown Toronto with artwork woven through the site and fully integrated with the landscape.
You can find through this park:
- A family of aluminum cast cranes, each crane depicting a different stage of life according to the Medicine Wheel: Childhood, Youth, Adult and Elder
- In the centre of the park, a mosaic medicine wheel is inlaid into the pavement at the convergence of the main park paths.
- Laser-cut aluminum reed screens spread throughout the park are painted a teal shade of green to mimic the tall reeds where cranes make their home.
- And finally, an abstracted feather acts as a canopy over the Wellesley Street entrance, providing shade and protection from the elements.
Now, for the cache itself, you're looking for something a little sneaky. And definitely not winter friendly. Please bring a pen and tweezers for this cache -and some patience.
Feel free to leave a quote on how you felt caching here today :)