Sunnyside Amusement Park
| Company type | Amusement park |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | 1922 |
| Defunct | 1955 |
| Fate | Demolished to make way for the Metro Toronto Gardiner Expressway |
| Headquarters | Toronto , Canada |
Area served | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Products | Amusement rides, entertainment events, dining facilities |
Sunnyside Amusement Park—also referred to as Sunnyside Beach Park—was a well-known entertainment venue located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operated from 1922 until its closure and subsequent demolition in 1955 to make way for the Metro Toronto Gardiner Expressway. The park was positioned along the Lake Ontario shoreline near Roncesvalles Avenue, westward of downtown Toronto.
The designation 'Sunnyside' traces back to a nearby farm once owned by John George Howard, situated north of the current site of St. Joseph's Medical Centre. Sunnyside Avenue extends in a north–south direction from that area down to Howard Park Avenue. Notably, John Howard was also proprietor of the adjacent High Park.
Construction
Prior to the establishment of the amusement park, the lakeshore consisted of a narrow strip located south of railway lines dating from the 1850s. This area featured a restaurant and a modest enclosed changing facility for swimwear. To the east, the Parkdale Canoe Club maintained a clubhouse that extended into Lake Ontario.
In 1913, the Toronto Harbour Commission initiated a federally funded project totaling $13 million aimed at enhancing shoreline lands stretching from Bathurst Street to the Humber River. The initiative involved constructing breakwaters, land reclamation through infill, and developing Lake Shore Boulevard.
A boardwalk made of white pine, 24 feet wide, was constructed along Lake Shore Boulevard from the Humber River eastward to Wilson Park Avenue, aligned with the newly extended shoreline. This promenade became the venue for annual Easter Parades until 1953; it was reconstructed as a public works project during 1934 and later surfaced with asphalt in the 1960s.
The creation of Sunnyside Amusement Park’s grounds involved dredging sand from the bay and adding topsoil sourced from Pickering, Ontario. The shoreline was extended roughly 1000 feet into Lake Ontario, spanning from Wilson Park Avenue westward to the Humber River over an area approximately 100 acres in size. Presently, only a small portion of this original beach remains near Dowling Avenue and Lake Shore Boulevard.
Initial constructions included the Sunnyside Pavilion—a curved lakeside dining establishment located east of Parkside Drive—followed by structures such as the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion and Dean's Sunnyside Pleasure Boats buildings. Soon afterward, permits were granted for amusement concessions within this space.
Opening its doors in 1922, Sunnyside Amusement Park entered a market with competitors like Hanlan's Point Amusement Park on the Toronto Islands, which ceased operations by the mid-1930s to accommodate the Toronto Island Airport. Another rival was Scarboro Beach Amusement Park, a trolley-accessible park functioning from 1907 until 1925 in eastern Toronto.
Attractions
Among its notable features was a large roller coaster named the 'Flyer', multiple merry-go-rounds, and the Derby Racer steeplechase ride, alongside various smaller amusements. The park hosted unique 'stunt events' such as flagpole sitting contests, dramatic boat burnings on Lake Ontario, and spectacular fireworks shows. Visitors were also drawn by outdoor and indoor musical performances, nightclubs, dining establishments, and scenic boardwalk promenades.
Bathing Pavilion
By the 1920s, swimming near Roncesvalles had been a favored activity for over three decades. Initially popular around a pumping station that was demolished in 1913 to allow construction of a bridge linking Lakeshore Road with King/Queen/Roncesvalles streets. Access to the shoreline was provided by a staircase and slide until beach relocation further south occurred by 1920.
On June 28, 1922, Toronto Mayor Charles A. Maguire officially inaugurated the Sunnyside Bathing Pavilion designed to support swimmers changing before entering Lake Ontario. Built from concrete at an expense of $300,000, it featured separate wings with outdoor changing areas equipped with lockers and showers—women’s facilities on the east side and men’s on the west—with over 7,700 lockers available and a roof garden accommodating up to 400 guests. Entrance fees were set at 25¢ for adults and 15¢ for children; bathing suits and towels could be rented onsite. A central staircase led visitors to an upper terrace overlooking changing rooms and a rear terrace facing the beach.
On July 29, 1925, addressing complaints about cold lake water during previous summers, the Sunnyside Pool (commonly called "the Tank") opened just east of the pavilion. Measuring approximately 220 by 75 feet, it had capacity for around 2,000 swimmers and was then regarded as the largest outdoor pool worldwide. Admission charges were set at 35¢ for adults and 10¢ for children.
Sunnyside Pavilion
Constructed in 1917 on the southern side of Lakeshore Road, Sunnyside Pavilion featured two dining establishments and a tea garden arranged in a crescent shape facing the lake. Created by the same architectural firm responsible for the Bathing Pavilion, it originally stood at the water’s edge but was relocated approximately 50 metres inland due to shoreline expansion caused by land reclamation north of Lake Shore Boulevard.
In 1920, the pavilion underwent enlargement with the addition of a new southern entrance overlooking the lake. It housed the Blue Room, which could accommodate 400 guests for dining or 175 couples for dancing, and the Rose Room, seating 300 diners or 150 dancing pairs. Evening entertainment included live performances by Joe DeCourcy’s orchestra following dinner.
By 1936, the building was transformed into Club Esquire, a supper club offering stage productions and dancing. It was later renamed Top Hat nightclub in 1941 before being demolished in 1956 to make way for the widening of westbound lanes on Lake Shore Boulevard.
Sunnyside Flyer
The Sunnyside Flyer roller coaster debuted in 1923, boasting what was advertised as the "dippiest-dips on the continent." It was designed by A. J. Miller, an experienced ride designer known for his work at Hanlan's Point and various roller coasters across North America and Blackpool, England. In 1933, the coaster underwent redesign to enhance its height and increase its speed.
Sunnyside Stadium
Sunnyside Stadium opened on May 19, 1925, serving as a venue for softball and lacrosse east of the amusement park near where the Boulevard Club now stands. It hosted prominent women’s softball leagues until its demolition in 1956 to provide parking space for the Boulevard Club.
Palais Royale / Dean's Sunnyside Pleasure Boats
Established in 1922, Palais Royale contained Walter Dean’s "Sunnyside Torpedo Canoe" manufacturing operation on its ground floor with a dance hall situated above. Commissioned by the Harbour Commission at a cost of $80,000 following the demolition of Dean’s previous boat-building location for park development, it also offered canoe and rowboat rentals. After Dean retired shortly after the park’s opening, boat production ceased and the dance hall expanded to occupy the entire building.
During Sunnyside’s amusement park era, Palais Royale operated as a nightclub featuring nightly live music and special appearances by performers such as Count Basie. From 1933 until 1950, Bert Niosi, dubbed "Canada's King of Swing," directed the resident orchestra. The hall still exists today functioning as an event venue.
Noteworthy Events
In 1923, greyhound races took place on the Bathing Pavilion lawn. The inaugural Miss Toronto pageant was held at Sunnyside in August 1926, with Jean Ford crowned as winner. Annual Easter weekend parades along the boardwalk became a long-standing tradition.
During a July 1936 heatwave reaching temperatures of 41 °C (105 °F), thirty men arrested for removing their bathing suit tops on the beach were acquitted in court. This case set a precedent allowing men to go topless on Toronto beaches.
On September 9, 1954, Marilyn Bell completed her landmark swim across Lake Ontario at Sunnyside’s breakwater; a commemorative plaque marks this historic location.
Demolition
Although plans for the Gardiner Expressway originated in 1943, progress accelerated after several winter fires in 1955 led the Toronto Harbour Commission to order Sunnyside’s demolition to facilitate road construction. The amusement park was considered an obstacle to traffic flow along Lake Shore Boulevard.
Most rides were dismantled; some attractions—including the Derby Racer—were relocated to the Canadian National Exhibition (C.N.E), while the carousel found a new home at Disneyland as the King Arthur Carrousel. Only Sunnyside Pool, Bathing Pavilion, and Palais Royale remain as surviving elements from the original park. For two summers following demolition, 'Kiddieland,' a small children’s amusement area operated by Conklin Shows, operated south of Lake Shore Boulevard on what is now Budapest Park. Subsequently, 'Centreville Amusement Park' was established on Toronto Islands.
The original Lakeshore Road along with its bridge connecting King/Queen/Roncesvalles was removed. Lake Shore Boulevard was expanded from four lanes to eight lanes with a broad median temporarily used as parking for C.N.E. visitors. A pedestrian bridge replaced former access points that were demolished.
On July 21, 1957, Queen streetcars were rerouted from their previous bridge alignment to new tracks along 'The Queensway,' leading to removal of earlier streetcar lines.
In 1964, ownership of park lands transferred from the Harbour Commission to the City of Toronto; since then Budapest Park has operated along this shoreline while most former amusement areas remain either vacant or repurposed for roadways and parking facilities.
The Sunnyside train station closed in 1967 and was demolished six years later in 1973.
Opened in 1936 north of the train station, the Sunnyside Bus Terminal ceased operations in 1990 and currently houses a McDonald's.
Current State of the Area
The initial boardwalk has been substituted with one constructed from recycled plastic decking. Adjacent to the Ryder Pool on the east side, a new playground for children has been installed. Additionally, a recreational path designed for cyclists and inline skaters was created south of Lake Shore Boulevard, forming a segment of the Martin Goodman Trail.
Attractions and Amusements
- Aero Swing (Traver Seaplane De Luxe)
- Auto Ride
- Custer Cars
- Derby Racer (indoor horse-racing carousel)
- Dutch Mill
- Flyer (roller coaster)
- Flying Scooters
- Fun Land (funhouse)
- Gad-A-Bout (bumper cars)
- Glider
- Looper
- Lover's Express
- Menagerie Merry-Go-Round (carousel)
- Miniature golf
- Moon Rocket
- Octopus
- Red Bug
- Spitfire
- Spook Castle
- Toboggan Wheel
- Whip
- Whoopee (later renamed "Swooper")
Source: Closed Canadian Parks
References and Notes
- Cotter, Charis. Toronto Between the Years. Firefly Books, 2004. ISBN 1-55297-899-0
- Filey, Mike. I Remember Sunnyside. Dundurn Press, 1996. ISBN 1-55002-274-1
See Also
- Palais Royale
- Sunnyside, Toronto – park vicinity
- Hanlan's Point Amusement Park – rival attraction located on the Toronto Islands