An historic glimpse of Trinity Square Park begins with a distant view to the time when the Taddle Creek meandered through what is now, a densely urban community. The park is on the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples.

Trinity Square Park today holds the footprint of its history in Toronto’s downtown.

In 1797 the square belonged to James Macaulay whose son, John Simcoe Macaulay, lived in the Terauley Cottage on the estate. When it was sold in 1845 a parcel was dedicated for the construction of The Church of the Holy Trinity.

The Eaton's House Furnishing Building, constructed in 1919, was later known as the Eaton's Annex. This was a 10-storey building containing both retail and office space. The first phase of the Eaton Centre opened in 1977.

In 1984, Trinity Square was a barren plot of public land enclosed by the church, the back door of the Eaton Centre and the Bell Trinity building.

Photo credit: The Thom Partnership and Fleming, Corban McCarthy Landscape Architects

The City opened a design competition. The Thom Partnership and Moorhead Fleming, Corban McCarthy Landscape Architects (MFCMc) won the contract and an Award of Excellence.

A good project tends to result from good collaboration and the following are some of the people responsible.

The late Ron Thom, Murray Beynon, partner-in-charge; Stephen Quigley, associate-in-charge; the late Tom Gis, John Dale and Peter Heywood, design team members. Steve Moorhead was partner-in-charge with Mas Omoto and Margaret Kwan, design team members for MFCMc.

Dermot Sweeny, early in his career, worked with The Thom Partnership doing the construction documents, detailing and administration. He recalls that their entry was simple, confident and elegant.

“We wanted the park to be a refuge for people working and living downtown”, said Sweeny.

Stephen Quigley, confirmed this civic-minded vision. “We pictured people would come to the park on a hot summer’s day and be refreshed by the flowering trees and the sound of the waterfall. No question the water element leading from Bay St. towards the Church and fountain feature recognized the historic Taddle Creek, known to have meandered in this area. The three gates lead to an inward-facing, calm, contemplative space with treed, stepped paved paths (three levels, three continuous paths) surrounding the grass square.

In the end, said Quigley, this project was really all about bringing order to a very prominent, ‘left-over’ urban space, which I think the design was successful at doing.”

By the late 1990’s the Labyrinth Community Network, LCN, approached the city looking for an appropriate site for a public labyrinth. Trinity Square Park came quickly to mind but it was left to the volunteer group, LCN, to find support and funding.

A collaboration was formed with LCN, the City of Toronto and the Church of the Holy Trinity.

In 2000, an 11-circuit medieval grass labyrinth was mowed into the centre of the park, largely funded by Main Street Ontario as a millennium project. In 2005 Michael Presutti, MEP Design Inc, installed a permanent stone labyrinth with major funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

LCN chose to make the labyrinth wheelchair friendly and placed a Braille labyrinth at the entrance so that anyone who wanted to use the labyrinth could do so.

LCN, too, recognized the presence of the former Taddle Creek with seven symbolic granite setts at the labyrinth entrance pointing True North. The setts were recovered during road reconstruction at Wychwood where the Taddle had once flowed.

Trinity Square Park continues to provide an oasis in the downtown core.

The labyrinth, a circle in the square, is now an integral part of that winning design.

The award document said about the project, “The Church of the Holy Trinity has a safe harbor. The public has its quiet place.”

And it still does.

Jo Ann Stevenson