Hundreds of years ago

Hundreds of years ago, the area that is now Toronto was peopled by the Huron-Wendat followed by the Haudenosaunee (the Iroquois).  The Anishinaabe (the Mississaugas) occupied the area from the late 17^th century. They signed the Toronto Purchase in 1793 with the British Crown. This 1793 sketch by Elizabeth Simcoe looking from the mouth of the Don River shows a shoreline undisturbed by settlement.

A military town

John Graves Simcoe chose the harbour for his military town and, as it becomes established, Indigenous peoples continue to frequent the area, travelling in birch canoes, harvesting wild rice, and trading fish at an early fish market. They camped along the peninsula (now the Toronto Islands) and gathered along riverbanks and the many tributaries that fed Lake Ontario, including quite possibly Cathedral Creek, a small seasonal stream that ran through the block that would eventually become St. James Park.

The church reserve

The site of today’s St. James Park was originally part of the church reserve. In 1797, Peter Russell, who managed York’s affairs under the first two Lieutenant Governors of Upper Canada (John Graves Simcoe and Peter Hunter), reserved blocks for a jail, courthouse, hospital, market, and church. This 1797 Smith plan shows the 10-block old town shaded in pink and the church reserve outlined in red.

The first church

Sacred ground

By 1833 there was little space left in the cemetery surrounding the church. During the construction of the 1849 church, bodies buried in in the eastern part of the park were moved north to the new St. James Cemetery at Bloor and Parliament. Some of the remaining tombstones of eminent Torontonians who were moved are embedded in the walls of the current St. James Cathedral; however, many cholera victims remain interred to this day in unmarked graves north of the cathedral. In 2012, tomb-like stone benches were installed at the north end of the cathedral to commemorate these early residents.

Commercial activity

It is easy to assume that the block was always a green space, but very early on the church divided their block into lots for rental income. This 1899 map shows that the area became significantly built up with commercial buildings and cross streets—Francis Street and the east-west Commercial Street. Maps as early as 1842 show that there were homes along this stretch. The area was populated with poor Irish Catholic families before they were displaced by the growing manufacturing pressures.

Early Black history

Early records from the cathedral indicate that several Black families also lived in the neighbourhood just east of the church on Stewart’s Lane, the precursor to Francis Street. Alfred Mitchell Lafferty, Ontario’s first Canadian-born Black lawyer, was born here in April 1839, third son to William and Sarah Lafferty. William was a licensed carter who delivered water throughout the town by horse and buggy. Shortly before Alfred’s birth the church caught fire. With his own home and family at threat from the flames, William made ten hasty trips to and from the lake to church to help douse the fire.

Alfred and his brothers attended the Central School across the street at Jarvis and Adelaide, an integrated school initiated by John Strachan. He then attended Upper Canada College and won a  scholarship. In 1863 he graduated from the University of Toronto and became a principal of several grammar schools in different parts of the province. Later he attended law school, was called to the bar in 1886 and practiced in Chatham.

The great fire

On April 7, 1849 the entire block was devastated by a fire, cause unknown, that began in a yard and stable belonging to Post’s Tavern halfway up the block from King Street on the east side of Jarvis. The fire damaged many commercial buildings, the north end of the market building, offices of two newspapers, and St. James Cathedral. The open cemetery around the cathedral broke the fire and saved the courthouse, fire hall, and St. Andrews Church on the west side of Church Street. Many of the destroyed commercial buildings were rebuilt and back in operation by August.

St. James Church in the aftermath of the Great Fire 1849

A new cathedral

The present cathedral, the fourth church erected on this site, opened in 1853, replacing the previous structure destroyed in the 1849 fire. The spire was completed in 1874 and the illuminated clock was installed in 1875, a gift from Toronto’s citizens. An international competition was held; the final design chosen by architect Frederick W. Cumberland is a great example of the Gothic Revival style that was considered the finest style of church architecture. Some of the characteristics of this style are the prominent tower and buttresses, a steeply pitched gable roof, deeply carved moldings, pinnacles, crockets, and iron cresting.

Bakeries and hotels

The Nasmith Bakery was just one of the businesses that occupied what is now the present day park. It stood on the southwest corner of Jarvis and Adelaide Street, approximately where the trellis stands, from 1856 to 1912, when it was bought by Weston Bakery. The Commercial, White Rose, and Imperial hotels occupied this strip of commercial buildings on the west side of Jarvis. Another intriguing business was the St. Lawrence Coffee House which opened on the north side of King, just east of the cathedral. This 1948 image shows the eastern portion of the original church reserve block filled with commercial buildings.

Evolution of green space

In 1959 the Cathedral sold the east portion of their land to the city for use as a park in perpetuity. First, the old rectory was demolished, and the entrance gates and ornamental iron fence were removed in 1960 to encourage the public to use the grounds. This aerial photo from 1961 shows the green space on the north side of the block where the rectory once stood. The remainder of the commercial buildings were razed in stages through the 1960s.

Threatened by development

The agreement to keep the land as a park was threatened when the city unveiled its St. Lawrence Centre Master Plan in 1962. The area bordering Yonge to Jarvis and Front to Richmond would be redeveloped as an arts centre with a theatre, art gallery, ballet school and museum, along with an art school where the park stands today. Only the Cathedral and St. Lawrence Hall would be saved. The Cathedral objected and eventually public opinion turned against the plan. A much smaller St. Lawrence Centre opened on Front Street.

Cleared for the park

The remaining commercial buildings are demolished from 1964 to 1972. This 1972 photo shows the land cleared, but with no park infrastructure other than picnic tables. You can see the pavement of Commercial and Francis Streets and the curve added to the corner of Adelaide and Jarvis to streamline traffic flow.

The gazebo appears

The gazebo was added in 1975 when the paved streets were buried. The Victorian garden design was a collaboration between Owen Scott of Landplan Collaborative Ltd and the Garden Club of Toronto and was completed in 1981. The pathways, berms, and lighting were added in 1983 and 1985. The original iron fencing around the garden was provided by the Toronto Historical Board (now Heritage Toronto) and the University of Toronto. The horse trough fountain was relocated from the south side of King Street to where it stands today. This was part of a massive redevelopment of the St. Lawrence district under the supervision of then City Planner Ken Greenberg.

For a great collection of construction photos of the park visit Old Toronto Sidewalk Labs.

Modern land art

Catch Basin by American artist Nancy Holt was installed in 1982. Nancy Holt was part of the environment and land art movement that emerged in the 1960s. Her work encouraged people to engage with the landscape in new and challenging ways. This piece was selected (out of three site-specific proposals) for what was called the Citysite Sculpture Project, a program aimed at educating the public on modern approaches to sculpture. It was to remain in place for 6 months, but became a permanent installation, only to be removed in 2017 to make way for the new playground.

More public art

More public art was installed in the park. In 2001, Gilbert Boyer’s installation of six tablets called “I looked for Sarah everywhere“, first installed in the Sculpture Garden in 1992, were embedded in the grassy field near Adelaide Street. In 2004, the Robert Gourlay sculpture by Adrienne Alison (1954-2018) was installed near the centre of the park. This piece was moved to the northwest entry plaza as part of the 2020 revitalization.

Garden renovation

The garden was renovated in 2003 by landscape designer Wendy Shearer. Improvements were needed because of the changing environmental conditions (shade where there used to be sun) and aging infrastructure. New plants were selected for the beds, walkways were updated, fencing was refurbished, and a programmable irrigation system was installed. This was made possible by a generous bequest from Joyce Stephenson Cockburn in memory of the Heron and Stephenson families.

Canada day celebrations

Over the years, the Cathedral, the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA, and other community organizations have hosted numerous events to bring people together in the park. The St. Lawrence Neighbourhood Association (SLNA) has hosted a Canada Day picnic since 2004 in Market Lane Park and, more recently, in St. James Park.

Occupy Toronto

Starting in October and for five weeks thereafter, hundreds of Occupy Toronto activists set up camp in St. James Park. Initially, surrounding restaurants, businesses, and residents were generous and supportive, but soon the deleterious effects of the occupation were felt, and the city served eviction notices. At the end of November, the camp was dismantled without violence. The park received a mini-makeover with new sod generously provided by Landscape Ontario and the Ontario Sod Growers Association and installed by volunteers.

The sound of music

The ARQ chamber quartet was the first performance of the new Music in St. James Park program, presented by the St. Lawrence Market Neighbourhood BIA in collaboration with local resident Bob Neighbour. Eight years running, this popular BIA program features a wide variety of music styles and live dance performances interrupted only by the 2019 revitalization project and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.

Plans for a new park

Planning for the St. James Park Revitalization project by the City of Toronto Parks, Forestry & Recreation began in earnest in 2016. The design team was led by PMA Landscape Architects who collaborated with Earthscape on playground design, RAW Design on the pavilion architecture, Marcel Dion on special lighting features, and Scott Eunson on public art. Jane Farrow facilitated the public engagement consultation which revealed the community’s desire to celebrate and enhance the existing character of the well-loved park and bring to life the rich history of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood and the Old Town.

The park makes friends

“Parks can deliver outsized impacts on our health, economy, ecology, and social belonging, but only when they’re shaped and animated by their communities.” ~ Park People

In 2018, a group of neighbours established The Friends of St James Park (FSJP) to promote grass-roots animation. Its main aim is to connect neighbours by encouraging participation in activities, events, programs, and volunteering.

A new playground

The new market-themed playground designed by Earthscape opens. It wins a Landscape Ontario Award in January 2019 but, more importantly, it was an immediate success with neighbourhood families and kids. The playground is AODA compliant and has interactive features for all ages including swings, slide, climbing tower, agility beam, log jam climber, and water play area. The FSJP, together with Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, hosted a Playground Open House and ribbon cutting ceremony in June 2019.

Looking smart

The entire park reopens after one year of construction. Each of the four entry plazas features new benches and a historical interpretation of some kind. The plaza was doubled in size and the open air pavilion, made of heavy timber columns with a trellis canopy and recessed lighting, is in part inspired by the St. James Cathedral’s Gothic Revival architecture. A Heritage Toronto plaque commemorating the cholera epidemics of 1832 and 1834 was newly installed in the entrance near Jarvis and King.