McCormick Playground and Recreation Centre Commemorative plaque, 2022.
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Original JPG File | 7350 × 4650 pixels (34.18 MP) 62.2 cm × 39.4 cm @ 300 PPI |
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Low resolution print | 2000 × 1265 pixels (2.53 MP) 16.9 cm × 10.7 cm @ 300 PPI |
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Screen | 1265 × 800 pixels (1.01 MP) 10.7 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
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Resource ID
8983
Access
Open
Address
66 Sheridan Ave, Toronto, ON M6K 2G9
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2022
Historical Themes
Entertainment and Leisure, Parks and Natural Heritage, Sports History
Program Category
Historical Plaques
Time Period
1900-1953, 1954-1998, 1999-today
Caption
McCormick Playground and Recreation Centre Commemorative plaque, 2022.
Description
Opened in 1911, the McCormick Playground became Toronto’s first public park with a year-round indoor recreation centre. It was the largest playground in the city for several decades and a training ground for park workers. The recreation centre was built in the Georgian Revival style in 1912. It featured a hall that could hold 300 people, as well as meeting rooms and a clinic for young children. For its first 15 years, it was the largest community recreation centre in Toronto, attracting about 120,000 visitors annually. In 1964, the current centre opened at the park’s northeast corner, and the old building was demolished. The new centre contained a gym, a swimming pool, and a nursery for children. Many well-known athletes have worked or volunteered here: Olympic boxer Horace “Lefty” Gwynne was the centre’s first manager; boxers Muhammad Ali and George Chuvalo refereed amateur boxing championships in 1966 and 1969, respectively; and Canadian Football League star Doyle Orange was a playground instructor. The centre was extensively renovated and reopened in 2003.
Marker lat / long: 43.647438, -79.432827 (WGS84)