There is a brand new heart-shaped park in Toronto and I couldn’t wait to see it, and now you can see it too. Located on a two-acre site where a Gardiner off-ramp once stood, Love Park features a large heart-shaped pond at its centre.
Surrounding the pond is a 160m bench seat made of red-toned glass mosaic. It’s so, so beautiful and I couldn’t love it more.
This oasis was created by Montreal designers CCxA and Toronto architects gh3*, both known for their gorgeous and progressive urban design. (CCxA designed another one of my favourite parks in the city, Berczy Park.) The goal was to have lush greenery create a peaceful retreat in the middle of the lively Harbourfront district, which has a lot of concrete and polluting traffic.
Hundreds of thousands of small red Mexican smalti glass tiles were meticulously chosen to shape the pond. The hand-selected tiles, balanced in varying shades of red, were painstakingly arranged into segments at a Montreal studio before being transported and installed on site.
The park features bronze sculptures of animals created by local artisans, which add a unique touch to the surroundings. It’s so cute to see dogs curiously pausing and sniffing at the sculptures, and of course kids love them too.
The animal sculptures in the park were crafted by Tyler Balko and Marina Guglielmi from Maker Technical Sculpture Services Inc., known for their expertise in the lost wax casting of metal and glass.
There is a lovely sitting area with tables and chairs where you can look at the water and decompress. The steel structure features a graceful undulating design. Over time, it will be covered with purple wisteria that will provide the most beautiful shade.
One of the things I love most about Love Park it that it has 38 newly planted trees and four mature trees.
The shade of red chosen for the tiles that defines of the outline of the park is vibrant and perfect. It is the most stunning shade of love-red!
Love Park welcomes dogs and is a dog-friendly destination with its designated off-leash area.
This stunning park, so clearly made with love, made me burst with joy. Love Park is located at 96 Queens Quay West, Toronto.
