Entertainment.
Details of Site Location: Lakeshore Road in the Parkdale area.
Boundary History: Built on sand pumped from the bottom of the lake and deposited on the shore, 130 acres in area.
Current Use of Property: Park; the Palais Royale is still standing.
Historical Description: As part of the massive waterfront development, in 1922 the Toronto Harbour Commission opened Sunnyside. It was one of Toronto’s most popular attractions for over thirty years. Included in the lakeside playground were: rides, games, restaurants, fast-food stands, dance halls, a huge bathing pavilion, a swimming tank, a beach on the lake. Bathing suits and towels were even rented. To get to Sunnyside, the city provided free streetcars. The purpose was to allow cooped-up city children healthy super-vised recreation. In November of 1955, several fires occurred in Sunnyside. Since the park had become quite run down, the city ordered most of the building to be demolished. However, the Palais Royal still stands, and it is to be renovated in the near future.
Relative Importance: Sunnyside was one of the most important entertainment venues in Toronto for 33 years.
Planning Implications: The people of Toronto and the tourists walking or biking along the Lakeshore would be interested in reading assorted plaques telling the stories of Sunnyside.
Reference Sources: Michael Kluckner, Toronto – The Way We Were (postcards, p.205); Mike Filey, A Toronto Almanac.