Mel Lastman Square is a public square at

North York Civic Centre The North York Civic Centre is a municipal government building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1979 as the city hall of the former city of North York. It is located in North York City Centre. Designed by Adamson Associates Architects, t ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. It is named for then North York mayor (and later Toronto mayor)

Mel Lastman Melvin Douglas Lastman (March 9, 1933 – December 11, 2021) was a Canadian businessman and politician who served as the third mayor of North York from 1973 to 1997 and 62nd mayor of Toronto from 1998 to 2003. He was the first person to serve ...

. It was officially opened on June 16, 1989 by

Norman Jewison Norman Frederick Jewison (born July 21, 1926) is a retired Canadian film and television director, producer, and founder of the Canadian Film Centre. He has directed numerous feature films and has been nominated for the Academy Award for Best ...

and Mel Lastman's granddaughter Brie Lastman. The architects were J. Michael Kirkland. The square hosts a variety of activities throughout the year, but is primarily a quiet space in which to relax or eat lunch.

History

The Square is located on what once was a "500-foot deep grassy field that served no apparent purpose other than to make City Hall hard to reach." The square was named after Lastman in a motion brought forth by

Howard Moscoe Howard Moscoe (born November 28, 1939)https://gencat4.eloquent-systems.com/webcat/request/Action?SystemName=City+of+Toronto+Archives&UserName=wa+public&Password=&CMD_%28DetailRequest%29 &ProcessID=6000_1980%280%29&KeyValues=KEY_315373 is a former ...

at a city council meeting in April 1986. Architect Michael Kirkland felt the overuse of concrete made the square feel "chintzy"; he would have used granite had the budget allowed for it. The Square cost $5 million to build. The opening ceremony on June 16th was attended by 3500 people, flanked by a choir and a giant inflatable

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

on a nearby rooftop. Lincoln Alexander and

Alan Tonks Alan Tonks (born April 2, 1943) is a former Canadian politician. He was the Liberal MP for the federal riding of York South—Weston in Toronto from 2000 to 2011, and was the final Metro Toronto Chairman before the amalgamation of Metro Toront ...

were present at the ceremony. Finally, MP

Alan Redway Alan Redway, (born 11 March 1935) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician. After a career in municipal politics culminating in the role of mayor of East York, a borough of Metropolitan Toronto, Redway entered federal politics. He was elect ...

read a tribute from Brian Mulroney and 7000 balloons were released. Surrounded by

Yonge Street Yonge Street (; pronounced "young") is a major arterial route in the Canadian province of Ontario connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. Once the southernmost leg of provincial H ...

on the east, the

Toronto District School Board The Toronto District School Board (TDSB), formerly known as English-language Public District School Board No. 12 prior to 1999, is the English-language public-secular school board for Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The minority public-secular franc ...

headquarters on the south, North York Civic Centre on the west, and to the north by the North York Central Library and North York Centre shopping/office/hotel complex (5150 Yonge Street), Mel Lastman Square was intended to be the heart of North York. With its sunken configuration and tree cover, activities can take place away from the busy traffic on Yonge Street. An artificial stream runs from a fountain under a large sign at Yonge Street down into a large concrete square. Planters, trees, shrubs and wooden benches surround the area. A large pond is located in the centre of the square that serves as a relaxing focal point in the summer and a skating rink in the winter. The square also features an outdoor theatre for a number of events, including Sunday Serenades jazz concerts each summer. Other events include RBC Run for the Kids, a farmer's market, cultural festivals, Canada Day festivities and numerous family events. The family of one of the victims of the Toronto van attack donated a

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

in April 2019 to the square. It has been placed under a rotunda at Mel Lastman Square. Mel Lastman Square Trees.jpg, A tree-lined walkway by morning at Mel Lastman Square, looking east toward Yonge Street Canada Day at Mel Lastman Square in Toronto - 2007.jpg, Performance onstage at Mel Lastman Square, Canada Day 2007

References

External links

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Mel Lastman Square - Community Events
{{Parks and squares in Toronto Music venues in Toronto Squares in Toronto Buildings and structures in Toronto North York

History

See also

References

External links