Riverside Square

The Toronto Baseball Grounds was the home field of the city’s first professional baseball team, the “Torontos” from 1886-1897. Admission was twenty-five cents and the field had two wooden stands with seating for 3000 fans. Later named Sunlight Park, the field and stands were demolished in 1913. Fast forward 100+ years later, Riverside Square has a baseball diamond again to commemorate the city’s first baseball team and stadium.

The Planning Partnership and MCW teamed up with Salex to provide a lighting solution that would bring this space to life. Streetcar Developments wanted to incorporate the existing home plate plaque and showcase the historic baseball diamond shape. Catenary lighting was a perfect way to light the park by suspending the lights as if they were floating above, and mimicking the baselines in the pavers below. The catenary system design was developed/engineered using 4 x 18 foot steel poles, and several catenary cables to create the diamond shape and provide the tension required to hang the fixtures at the required height and position. Structura’s Aura square LED pendant was chosen to represent the bases with a custom Aura pendant as home plate. These fixtures were specified with a 100% recyclable Accoya wood finish and 3000K high output LED light engines, overall providing a warm feel and sustainable look. In addition, the Structura Metro luminaires were added on the poles to supplement the base lighting around the perimeter of the park given the spacing constraints of the base locations. This new space is the perfect location for year-round markets, light displays, art, and more!