“A picturesque green space in the heart of the garment district”
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St. Andrew’s Playground forms the backbone of the Waterworks city block extending from Maud to Brant Street on Adelaide Street and leading right into the Waterworks Food Hall. As one of the few green spaces left in the downtown core, the park offers a scenic view of mature trees and paved pathways perfect for a morning stroll. Throughout the park you’ll find plenty of benches to perch upon and watch your dog roam through one of King West’s only dog parks.
In the early 1800s the entire city block was a Market Square that acted as a community hub and important commercial center for what was then Toronto’s west end. This market was the third of its kind after the St. Lawrence and St. Patrick’s Markets and was named “St. Andrew’s Market” to recognize the city ward in which it was located.
In 1850, just 10 years after conception, the building connected to the park was destroyed by a fire. Soon after, developers at the time realized the potential of the northeast corner of Brant and Adelaide and rectified the building and area to be larger than ever. Through the late 1800s, the park began to function as an important public open space for the community. Then, in 1909, the southern portion of the site became known as St. Andrew’s Playground when it became the site of Toronto’s first official playground that was dedicated to, and equipped for, supervised children’s play.
With a 25% expansion as part of the redevelopment of Waterworks, The St. Andrew’s Playground will continue to thrive as an important community hub and offer even more green space for the neighbourhood.