Equipment by Landscape Structures, Little Tikes.
Surface: rubber.
Updated September 2024. Old review here.
If you grew up in east York in the 90s, you probably started noticing a construction trend in the back half of that decade: those iconic East York postwar bungalows were being transformed into two or three-level monster homes that almost overflowed their lots. How could folks in this modest borough afford to build completely new homes?
I've heard people refer to this as the “East York reno” - a permit loophole whereby owners knocked down all but one wall and built something new around it. By leaving that one wall standing, the construction still qualified as a renovation rather than a re-build, saving the owners lots of paperwork and money. They ended up with essentially a brand new house that had the appearance of being impressive while somehow also being slightly disappointing.
Considering that Stan Wadlow Park is right in the heart of East York, it’s only fitting that its playground has been given the playground equivalent of the one-wall renovation.
What I mean is that it’s not a total re-do: a rope wall and a Little Tikes climber from the original playground remain. But the surfacing has been changed from sand to rubber, and several new pieces of equipment by Landscape Structures have been added.
The highlight is an interesting bridge-shaped structure that I’ve never seen anywhere else. It’s nice because it offers height and safety in equal measure, and it looks impressive as you approach the playground. The problem is that the flat landscaping of the playground means that despite being a bridge, it doesn’t go over anything, or connect one part of the playground to another the way a bridge usually does.
Also new is a saucer swing, a line of normal swings, several freestanding spinners, and a small climber that’s geared towards younger kids.
It’s all…fine. But it does feel like the budget may have held them back from really knocking this one out of the park. I’m glad that the sandy surfacing is gone, but having no sandbox at all is too bad.
Still, Stan Wadlow remains solid in the “extras” category. I can’t think of any other park in Toronto that has a playground, skate park, swimming pool, splash pad, snack bar, off-leash area, bathrooms, a connection to a valley trail, and a nearby school with even more playground equipment. Oh, and six baseball diamonds.
The end result of Stan Wadlow’s partial rejuvenation is that its score stays the same; it loses a half-point for not having a sandbox, but gains it back for the slightly cooler new equipment. In other words, like most one-wall renos, it gives the appearance of being impressive while also being slightly disappointing.