The
Torontoist takes us through the history of the Scarborough Civic Centre, and how a single oak tree inspired its creation.
Designed in 1973 by architect Raymond Moriyama, the modernist geometric structure remains a well-used and iconic public space.
"A space station, a castle, a ship... make any fanciful comparison you will, but the Scarborough Civic Centre is open for business and pleasure."
"Such was the grand description applied to architect Raymond Moriyama’s geometric design in a 1973 tourism brochure, shortly after the Scarborough Civic Centre’s official opening on June 29 of that year. It was a building that would, at least for a time, be dubbed the jewel of Ontario."
"But it was a project the architect had initially been hesitant to get behind."
"Moriyama changed his mind when he saw the proposed development site. What has now become Scarborough Town Centre—home to its own mall, RT station, and bus terminal in addition to the Civic Centre complex—was, in the late 1960s, almost entirely farmland, with 'prominent strands of mature hardwood still intact.' The idea of preserving this streak of nature within an expanding urban context tickled the designer. His imagination was fired particularly by the presence of a single, old oak tree."
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Torontoist