Sunnyside Amusement Park
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Sunnyside Amusement Park was a popular amusement park located to the west of the Exhibition Grounds and along Lake Ontario in Toronto, Ontario, at the foot of Roncesvalles Avenue where it meets King Street and Queen Street. It operated from 1922 to 1955 and was demolished in 1955 to facilitate the building of the Metro Toronto Gardiner Expressway project.
Its name originates in a local farm owned by John Howard, which was situated just to the north, on the location of the current St. Joseph's Medical Centre. Sunnyside Avenue runs north-south from that location north to Howard Park Avenue today. John Howard is also famous as the original landowner of High Park in Toronto.
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[edit] Construction
Prior to the construction of the park, the shoreline was a narrow stretch immediately to the south of the 1850s era rail lines. There was enough area for a restaurant and a small fenced off area was provided for changing into swimwear. To the east, the club-house of the Parkdale Canoe Club jutted out into the lake.
A plan was developed in 1913 by the new Toronto Harbour Commission to improve the shore lands from the foot of Bathurst Street to the Humber River. The plan, which included four miles of breakwater, infilling of land, and the construction of the Lakeshore Boulevard, cost $13 million, and was paid for by the federal government.
A boardwalk along the south side of Lakeshore Boulevard was built, from the Humber River east to Wilson Park Avenue, 24 feet in width using white pine planks. This corresponded to the length of shoreline that was extended out into the lake. This boardwalk became the site of annual Easter Parades until 1953. It was rebuilt in 1934 as a make-work project and was paved using asphalt in the 1960s.[1]
The Amusement Park lands themselves were completely created from sand dredged from the bottom of the bay and top soil from a farm in Pickering, Ontario. The original shoreline was extended into the lake by approximately 100 metres, from the foot of Wilson Park Avenue west to the Humber River, a distance of about 1 kilometre. Only a small length of the original shoreline and beach exists today, located between the Boulevard Club and the Canadian Legion building at Dowling and the Lakeshore Boulevard.
One of the first new buildings was the Sunnyside Pavilion, a curved structure providing a restaurant with views of the lake. It was located just to the east of Parkside Drive at the shoreline. Following this, the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion and Dean's Sunnyside Pleasure Boats buildings were constructed. Soon after, concessions were requested and granted to operate amusements on the lands.
Sunnyside Amusement Park opened in 1922. At the time, there was an existing amusement park on Toronto Island at Hanlan's Point. It only operated a few more years until 1927 when a baseball stadium at the foot of Bathurst Street was built, replacing the stadium on the Island. Another amusement park, the Scarborough Beach Amusement Park was built in Scarborough, Ontario, to the east of Toronto.
[edit] Attractions
The park was popular for its large roller coaster, known as the 'Flyer', several merry-go-rounds, the Derby Racer steeplechase ride and numerous smaller attractions. It also hosted several 'stunt events' including flagpole sitting, famous boat burnings in Lake Ontario and fireworks displays.
Other popular attractions included outdoor and indoor musical concerts, night clubs, and restaurants and walking along the boardwalk. In 1923, dog races were held on the lawn in front of the Bathing Pavilion.
[edit] Bathing Pavilion
By the 1920s, swimming at the foot of Roncesvalles had been popular for over thirty years, as there was a swimming area near a pumping station. This changed in 1913 when the pumping station was demolished to make way for the bridge connecting Lakeshore Road and the King/Queen/Roncesvalles intersection. A staircase was built for pedestrians to walk down to the shoreline. A slide was installed for bathers to slide down into the water. By 1920, this area was filled in and the beach was moved further to the south.
On June 28, 1922, Toronto Mayor Alfred Maguire opened the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion to help bathers change for the swim in the lake. The building, constructed of concrete, cost $300,000. Each wing held an outdoor changing area, lockers and showers, the women's side on the east, and men's side on the west. It offered over 7700 lockers for patrons, a roof garden for 400. Admission fees were 25¢ for adults and 15¢ for children, and bathing suits and towels could be rented.[2] In the center was a staircase leading to an upper terrace which overlooked the change areas leading to a rear terrace which ran the full length of the building and overlooked the beach.
The building was designed by Alfred Chapman who had designed the Prince's Gates and the Ontario Government Building at the CNE. The bathing pavilion design was based on the bathing pavilion at Lynn Beach in Massachusetts.[3]
The Pavilion was the site of the first 'Miss Toronto' beauty pageant in 1926.
[edit] Sunnyside Pool
On July 29, 1925, due to coldness of the lake during the preceding two summers, the Sunnyside Pool, nicknamed the 'Tank', was opened beside the Bathing Pavilion to the east. It measures 300 feet by 75 feet and can accommodate 2,000 swimmers. At the time of construction, the pool was considered the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world.[4] Admission fees were 35¢ for adults, 10¢ for children.
The 'Tank' was especially popular with children as special streetcar runs were made to take children to the Pool directly from around the City. When built, the pool had a diving tower and bleachers on the east end. The tower was replaced with a simple diving board before 1980, and the diving board was eventually removed.
[edit] Sunnyside Pavilion
Sunnyside Pavilion provided two restaurants and a tea garden facing the lakeshore. It was curved into a crescent with the tea garden positioned within the semi-circle. It was designed by the same architects and was in the same style as the Bathing Pavilion, immediately to the west.
It was built in 1917 on the south side of Lakeshore Road. When built, its south side was on the lakeshore. As infill proceeded it ended up about 50 metres from shore, on the north side of the new Lakeshore Boulevard. In 1920, the building was enlarged and a new south entrance was built facing the lake. The restaurant had the Blue Room for 400 diners/175 dancing couples, and the Rose Room for a further 300 diners/150 couples. Dancing followed supper, with music provided by the Joe DeCourcy live orchestra.[5]
In 1936, the Pavilion was renovated and became known as the Club Esquire supper club, with stage shows and dancing.
In 1941, the building was converted into the Top Hat night club. It was demolished in 1956 to make way for the new westbound lanes of Lakeshore Boulevard.
[edit] Sunnyside Flyer
The Sunnyside Flyer roller-coaster, advertised as having the "dippiest-dips on the continent"[6] was opened in 1923. It was designed by veteran amusement ride builder A. J. Miller, who had built most of the attractions at the prior Hanlan's Point amusement park, and had built roller coasters in North America and Blackpool, England. The coaster was redesigned in 1933 with increased height and speeds.
[edit] Sunnyside Stadium
The Sunnyside Stadium softball and lacrosse field was opened on May 19, 1925 immediately to the east of the amusement park, next to the current Boulevard Club, then the Parkdale Canoe Club. It was the site of several popular women's softball leagues. It was bulldozed in 1956 for the current Boulevard Club parking lot.
[edit] Palais Royale/Dean's Sunnyside Pleasure Boats
Opening in 1922, the Palais Royale building provided a factory for Walter Dean to build his "Sunnyside Torpedo Canoe" on the lower floor, and the Palais Royale dance hall on the upper floor. The upper floor opened at ground level on the north, and the land sloped downwards to the lake shore line, where the lower level opened onto the lake. The factory also rented canoes and rowboats. Dean had been building boats in a nearby building that was demolished to build the amusement park and the Harbour Commission built the new building, which cost $80,000. The boat-building business ended not long after the opening of the amusement park, and Mr. Dean retired. The dance hall took over the whole building.
During the era of the amusement park, the dance hall operated as a nightclub with nightly live music along with special engagements from musicians such as Count Basie. From 1933 to 1950, Bert Niosi "Canada's King of Swing", provided the house orchestra. The hall still exists today as a special occasions event hall.
[edit] Demolition
The plans for the Gardiner Expressway were known since 1943, as part of a City of Toronto Planning Board report which called for tens of miles of super-highways criss-crossing the Toronto urban area. But it was not until after several fires in the winter of 1955 that the Toronto Harbour Commission ordered the park's demolition, facilitating the building of the roadway. Lakeshore Boulevard was the scene of regular traffic jams and the park was seen to be impeding 'progress' to the development of Toronto.
Most rides were demolished, however several amusements including the Derby Racer were moved to the Canadian National Exhibition (C.N.E), and the carousel to Disneyland where it was renamed the King Arthur Carrousel. Only the Sunnyside Pool and Bathing Pavilion and the Palais Royale buildings survive in place as relics of that time. For two summers afterwards, a small children's amusement area named 'Kiddieland' was operated to the south of Lakeshore Boulevard, the site of Budapest Park today. It was operated by Conklin Shows.
The old Lakeshore Road and its connecting bridge to the King/Queen/Roncesvalles intersection was demolished also. The Lakeshore Boulevard roadway was doubled from four lanes to eight lanes in the area of the amusement park with a large empty median between the lanes in each direction. For several years afterwards the median was used as parking lot for the annual Canadian National Exhibition. A pedestrian bridge was built to the south-side of Lakeshore Boulevard to replace the bridge and stairs that was demolished.
Starting July 21, 1957 the Queen streetcars that travelled down the old bridge and served the shoreline and park were moved to a new track to the north of the rail lines, in the middle of the new 'The Queensway' roadway, and the old tracks were removed.
In 1964, the lands of the park were transferred from Harbour Commission ownership to the City of Toronto, which has operated Budapest Park along the shoreline ever since, but most of the remaining lands of the amusement park are vacant or are roadways or parking lots.
In 1972, the Sunnyside train station just to the north of the old park ceased operations.
[edit] Current condition
The location of the park today is now criss-crossed by 12 lanes of traffic. The location at the foot of Roncesvalles has been measured as the "noisiest location in Ontario", recording very high decibel levels. This is due to the amount of road traffic, rail traffic and streetcar traffic concentrated there. However, to the south of the roadways, the beach and lakefront parkland are still popular. Immediately to the east, the Boulevard Club, formerly the Parkdale Canoe Club, continues operations offering tennis, boating and social activities. It celebrated its centenary in 2005.
[edit] Park buildings
The Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion was renovated in 1980. The outdoor lockers and changing area was demolished and new changing rooms were built in the east wing of the pavilion. The west wing now houses a cafe with patio on the boardwalk and a tea garden. The beach to the south of the pavilion now hosts beach volleyball. The Pavilion and surrounding park hosts regular multicultural events and a Canada Day celebration. The pool was rededicated as the 'Gus Ryder Pool', named after the founder and coach of the Lakeshore Swim Club of New Toronto. The Palais Royale is operated on a special events rental basis and is still active, though not on the scale in its past, although it has held notable concerts such as Sloan and The Rolling Stones and was renovated in 2006.
[edit] Lakeside bandshells
All of the structures to the south of Lakeshore Boulevard between the Bathing Pavilion and the Palais were demolished. In 1964, to commemorate the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, the park was named Budapest Park. The area has a major monument to the conflict, picnic lands, a children's playground and wading pool.
[edit] Boardwalk
A new boardwalk, constructed of planks of recycled plastic has been built along the shore from the foot of Roncesvalles west to the Humber River. Along the bath of the old boardwalk, the Martin Goodman Trail bicycle path has been constructed. These meet at the Humber River mouth where a pedestrian bridge was constructed to cross the Humber River to lakeshore parks to the west of the river.
[edit] Water conditions
The water at the beach was long considered too polluted for swimming, but is now open for swimming most of the summer and efforts are being made to reduce pollution further. After major rainfalls, swimming is closed for several days due to high bacteria counts attributed to run-off into the Humber River. Water quality is improving; a major tunnel was built to contain most of the storm water that was polluting the river, diverting the water to wastewater treatment. Two storm water management ponds were built north of Lakeshore Boulevard in 2007. Water conditions are indicated by flags posted along the beach. The waters are popular for boating because of the breakwater and several canoe, rowing and dragon boating clubs exist.
[edit] Future plans
The City of Toronto City Council has commissioned a study of this area of the waterfront entitled the "Western Waterfront Public Consultation". Plans include the realignment of Lakeshore Boulevard and options for pedestrian and cycling access.[7]
[edit] References and notes
- Filey, Mike (1996). I Remember Sunnyside. Dundurn Press. ISBN 1-55002-274-1.
[edit] See also
