The battle over the future of Ontario Place is pitched—and for good reason. Thousands of Torontonians spent their formative years there, learning the art of play, listening to live music and catching IMAX flicks. A nostalgic tour of the glory years
In the late 1960s, following the success of Montreal’s Expo 67, Toronto finally decided to do something about its long-neglected waterfront. The Toronto Harbour Commission developed a master plan to transform a 155-acre swath of land into a massive recreational site. The result, Ontario Place, included five sci-fi-esque multi-use pods, a marina, an outdoor concert venue, a geodesic dome housing a theatre, a one-of-a-kind children’s play area created by British designer Eric McMillan and a collection of “villages”—modular structures containing restaurants and shops.
FUN HOUSE (1973): Eric McMillan, who designed the children’s attractions at Ontario Place, was credited with inventing “soft play.” Using materials like rope and vinyl-clad foam to prevent kids from getting hurt, he built a foam “swamp,” a punching bag forest and a rope ladder strung over a pool of water. The Children’s Village, as it was called, was a smash hit with the park’s youngest guests.
MAKING A SPLASH (1986): After the success of the Children’s Village, McMillan was commissioned to design an aquatic play area in 1973. He created a free-roaming waterpark with multiple levels and stationary water guns. “The creative freedom I was given was amazing,” he says. “The waterpark earned more press coverage than Ontario Place’s initial opening.”
A NOVEL IDEA (1970s): The initial plan for Ontario Place involved overhauling the CNE’s Ontario Government pavilion. But one of the project’s architects, Noel Hancock, suggested building exhibition pods in the lake instead. “The project became much more ambitious,” says McMillan.
BUMPY RIDE (1986): In the mid-1980s, the provincial government tried to monetize Ontario Place by turning parts of it into a theme park. A few rides, like the now-defunct Wilderness Adventure, were built only to fall into disrepair.
FREE FLOATING (1987): In the 1980s, bumper boats arrived on the scene, allowing visitors to safely crash into their pals against the backdrop of the HMCS Haida, which served the Royal Canadian Navy until 1963.
BRIGHT FUTURE (1970s): Originally painted in eye-popping colours, the fun-focused futuristic villages housed, at different times, skating and roller rinks, restaurants, a reflecting pool and an eco-learning centre.
PLAYTIME (1970s): The colourful water modules, which sprayed with the pull of a lever, were an experiment in play that forged a large part of Ontario Place’s character. They established McMillan as a leading force in the world of children’s attractions.
GOING GREEN (1970s): One of the park’s early aims was to provide urbanites with access to nature and water. Landscape architect Michael Hough wanted to democratize the city’s green spaces, particularly as the surrounding population boomed.
OPEN SEASON (1996): During Ontario Place’s heyday, visitors sought out its vast waterpark to keep cool in the summertime. McMillan’s team also built skating rinks on the roofs of the pods and invited guests to try summer skating on their slippery plastic surfaces.
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