Twenty-seven archival images showcasing the historical past of a bygone Ontario Place

Ontarians’ fondness for Ontario Place is tough to quantify. After the waterfront web site opened in Might of 1971, individuals of all ages flocked to the vacation spot 12 months after 12 months—younger adults attending free live shows at The Discussion board, households having fun with the Youngsters’s Village and vacationers having fun with dinner alongside the water. In 2012, after a gradual decline in attendance, the province introduced that the general public sections of the park could be closed and redeveloped. Nearly a decade later, in 2021, Doug Ford’s authorities revealed its plans to remake the location into an enormous personal spa designed by Austrian agency Therme Group.

Whereas many agree that the park is in want of a revamp, the brand new plans have been met with heavy pushback. Critics denounced the proposed redesign as “tone-deaf,” inaccessible and exclusionary—to not point out a poor use of the town’s minimal waterfront. In response, the province has maintained that, ought to the plans be authorised (they’re set to go to council within the fall), the park’s most quintessential options and public inexperienced areas will probably be preserved.

In accordance with legendary German Canadian architect and Ontario Place designer Eberhard Zeidler, the location was supposed as a leisure house for all individuals—not simply those that can afford luxurious spa therapies. Right here’s a choice of archival images that seize Ontario Place’s legacy of household, friendship and neighborhood.