st james park toronto

Downtown Toronto park reveals part of its big makeover

A downtown Toronto park near King and Church may no longer have its iconic old gazebo, but a new structure has just popped up in its place. 

A new open-air pavilion now sits as the focal point at St. James Park, and though it's not yet open to the public, even from afar it looks pretty epic. 

st james park torontoWhile the beloved bandstand will be missed, the new pavilion by RAW Design is made up of 16 glued laminated timber pieces. 

According to the community group Friends of St. James Park Toronto, the new pavilion was partly inspired by the Gothic Revival architecture of the cathedral next door, with supporting beams creating a cross-like form that can be seen from above. 

st james park torontoThe park's revitalization project is ongoing, with new plazas, paths leading up to the pavilion, lighting, and trees to be planted. 

It's unclear when the project will be finished — the sooner we get a new public pandemic-era hang, the better — though the city has said it should wrap up sometime summer 2020. 

Photos by

Tanya Mok


Latest Videos



Latest Videos


Join the conversation Load comments

Latest in City

Royal Canadian Mint's new releases include a coin with a jaw-dropping price tag

It will be a huge headache to get to popular Toronto beach for at least a month

Canada's largest spider is a fearsome predator that grows to 9 cm and lives in Ontario

Motorist ridiculed for driving on Toronto sidewalk but some disagree on who to blame

Toronto man claims thieves now breaking into cars to steal gas pedals in viral video

People holding dead animal bodies turned heads next to busy Toronto destinations

Here's a preview of what it will be like to ride on new Toronto LRT line

There's a brand-new $26M TTC subway station entrance in a popular Toronto park