Withrow Park

Withrow Park is a 8.5-hectare (21-acre) park in the Riverdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.[1] Laid out and constructed in the 1910s, at the same time that the surrounding community was built, Withrow Park is among Toronto's large multi-purpose parks. The park is bounded by Carlaw Avenue on the east, Bain Avenue on the south, Logan Avenue on the west and McConnell Avenue on the north.

1894 portrait of John Jacob Withrow
Withrow Park
TypePublic Park
Location725 Logan Avenue
Toronto, Ontario
Coordinates43°40′29″N 79°20′50″W
Area8.5 hectares (21 acres)
Created1910
Operated byToronto Parks
WebsiteWithrow Park

Withrow Park is named after John Jacob Withrow (1833–1900), a local landowner and builder, who also served as a city alderman and was one of the founders of what would become the Canadian National Exhibition.[2]

The park gained nationwide notoriety in 2004 when hot dogs laced with carbofuran were left in the park, killing one dog and poisoning 15 others.[3] While the poisonings were under criminal investigation, the City closed most of Withrow Park by surrounding it with a chain-link fence,[4] causing controversy in the neighbourhood. No charges were ever laid.[5]

In February 2008, the Toronto Maple Leafs ice hockey team held a practice in Withrow Park, to mark the recent refurbishment of the park's ice rink and related facilities.[6]

Ice skating in Withrow Park, 1923.

References
  1. Withrow Park. City of Toronto. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  2. Gould, Allan. Wise, Leonard. Toronto Street Names. (Firefly Books, 2000). (ISBN 1552093867). p. 229.
  3. Who poisoned the dogs of Withrow Park?: Many emotions have been unleashed by the poisoned dogs of Withrow Park. Maclean's. February 16, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  4. Contaminated substances found in Withrow Park. City of Toronto Parks and Recreation Notice. February 20, 2004. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  5. One Year. The Park Affair. February 6, 2005. Retrieved 2007-09-23.
  6. Wattie, Chris. Leafs take it outside, in Riverdale. National Post. February 11, 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-12.

Media related to Withrow Park at Wikimedia Commons

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