Dufferin Grove Park is a park in the

Dufferin Grove Dufferin Grove is a neighbourhood located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, west of downtown. The neighbourhood is bordered by Bloor Street West to the north, Ossington Ave to the east, College Street to the south, and Dufferin Street to the west. ...

neighbourhood of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada. The park is located on the east side of

Dufferin Street Dufferin Street is a major north–south street in Toronto, Vaughan and King, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions (4 km) west of Yonge Street. The street starts at Exhibition Place, continues north to Toronto's nor ...

, south of

Bloor Street West Bloor Street is an east–west arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Dan ...

. It is located a block south of the Dufferin subway station and across the street from

Dufferin Mall Dufferin Mall is a shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the west side of Dufferin Street, south of the intersection of Bloor Street West, in the Brockton Village neighbourhood. It was first built as a shopping plaza in the ...

. The park extends two city blocks east and is primarily green-space with mixed open space and treed areas.

Facilities and activities

The park features a large playground, a wading pool, a pizza oven, a basketball court, and an outdoor ice skating rink in the winter. There is also an organic farmers' market at the park on Thursday afternoons from 3-7 o'clock. The Park has been set up for wireless Internet usage. The park is home to the

Clay & Paper Theatre Clay & Paper Theatre is a community arts theatre company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that produces narrative theatre using large-scale puppets, masks, stilts, visual imagery, music, and poetry. A fundamental component of Clay & Paper Theatre's ...

which stages outdoor plays in the summer as well as special events at other times of the year. Amenities include a volleyball net, ping-pong table, and skating rink. The park has trees and grass, benches and picnic tables.

Denison Creek

The park is situated on one part of the ravine of Denison Creek, a fork of the former Garrison Creek. In the south-west quadrant of the park, along Dufferin, a section of the ravine remains, minus the creek, which was filled in long ago. The waters of the creek are diverted into a trunk sewer that runs under Dufferin Avenue, then under Sylvan Street. An interpretative display is provided.

Marsh Fountain & The Ruins of the Toronto Custom House

In 1998 artist Gene Threndyle in partnership with th
Friends of Dufferin Grove Park
created a series of gardens and a fountain marking the path of Denison Creek. As part of the installation, a set of large architectural ruins were relocated from

High Park High Park is a municipal park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. High Park is a mixed recreational and natural park, with sporting facilities, cultural facilities, educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds and a zoo. One-third of the park remains ...

to Dufferin Grove Park. These ruins were identified in 2020 by artist and amateur historian Andrew Lochhead, and confirmed by Threndyle, as the long-lost remains of the secon
Toronto Custom House
(1876-1919) designed by Richard Windeyer. The ruins, mostly keystones and some capitals, represent one of the few remaining local examples of the work of one of nineteenth century Ontario's most important and prolific architects. Following the demolition of the Custom House in 1909 the ruins were incorporated into th
Colonial (later renamed The Bay)Theatre
one of Toronto's first purpose built cinemas. When the theatre was demolished in 1966 the keystones - their origins shrouded in mystery - were meant to be installed into the facade of the

Simpson Tower The Simpson Tower, located at 401 Bay Street, is the 38th-tallest building in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Completed in 1968 by John B. Parkin Associates and Bregman & Hamann, as the headquarters of the Simpsons department store company, it has 33 f ...

. However this plan was not realized and the ruins were transported to High Park and installed as ornamentation prior to being moved to Dufferin Grove. Toronto Custom House Lady Toronto

References

External links

Friends of Dufferin Grove Park

''Citizen Z'' — an NFB documentary about Dufferin Grove Park
{{Parks and squares in Toronto Parks in Toronto