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Spirit Garden - Indian Residential School Survivors Restoration of Identity Project

Completion Date

2023

Location

Toronto, Canada

Size

34,000 sq ft

Program

Turtle Sculpture, Reflecting Pond, Voyageur Canoe, Teaching Lodge, Amphitheatre, Inukshuk, Benches, Three Sisters Garden, Gathering Areas, Tree Of Peace, Walkways

Design Team

  • Philip Hastings
  • Jim Burkitt
  • Graham Bolton
  • Hugo Martins
  • Courtney Klein

Description

Nathan Phillips Square was selected by the City of Toronto, in partnership with Toronto Council Fire Native Cultural Centre, as a publicly accessible, highly visible location to celebrate the resilience of residential school survivors and their families with space for teaching, learning, sharing and healing. Located in the heart of downtown Toronto, this transformation integrates Indigenous culture, symbols and plantings within Canada’s largest urban centre. With pedestrian linkages to City Hall, Osgoode Hall, and Queen Street West, the site is positioned to impact millions of visitors and advance reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in Toronto.

This initiative develops the south-west quadrant of Nathan Phillips Square into a public space shaped by Indigenous peoples to provide education and build relations with the larger Toronto community. At the centre of the Spirit Garden is a Turtle sculpture, designed by Anishinaabe artist Solomon King, which identifies the names of the 17 residential schools that once operated in Ontario. The design of the Spirit Garden revolves around Turtle Island, and offers dedicated places for contemplation, celebration and ceremonies — open, inclusive and welcoming to all. The fully accessible site includes a reflecting pond, a Two Row Wampum walkway, a Voyageur canoe, an Inukshuk, and a timber-frame Teaching Lodge. In support of the Toronto Green Standard, the sustainable design solution utilizes on-site energy, incorporates recyclable building materials, and integrates green space including the Three Sisters garden, a healing space with Indigenous landscaping.

The design of this project is the result of a prosperous working relationship between Gow Hastings Architects and Two Row Architect, Indigenous Design Architect. As a significant public initiative, the design was developed through extensive consultation with community stakeholders.