Published 2 October 2026 · By Jatin Dua, Broker of Record, RE/MAX Quantum Realty
My five: St. James Park at 120 King Street East, a 1.5-hectare Victorian-style garden with a fountain and gazebo; Berczy Park, about one acre off Front Street, with Claude Cormier’s fountain of 27 cast-iron dogs and a cat; David Crombie Park, a 1.6-hectare linear park along The Esplanade, under phased reconstruction from March 2026 to fall 2028 but partly open; Corktown Common, 7.3 hectares east of Bayview with a splash pad, playground and marsh; and Underpass Park, 1.05 hectares under the Eastern Avenue overpasses, with a skate area and basketball half-courts. The order is my judgement, not an official ranking.
How I chose these five parks
St. Lawrence and the Distillery are among the oldest parts of Toronto, with some of its newest condo blocks between them. The parks reflect that: Victorian gardens by the cathedral, a linear park along The Esplanade, and two Waterfront Toronto parks built for the Canary District.
I ranked five by distance from the condo buildings around Front Street, The Esplanade, the Distillery and the Canary District, what you can do there, year-round use and what is scheduled. Amenities and dates come from the City of Toronto and Waterfront Toronto; where I used The Cultural Landscape Foundation or Wikipedia for a size or history, I say so. The order is my judgement, not an official ranking. For schools, see the five schools near St. Lawrence and the Distillery.
1. St. James Park
What it offers
St. James Park, at 120 King Street East beside St. James Cathedral, is one of the City’s traditional garden parks. The City describes Victorian-inspired gardens with ornamental displays, public art, a central fountain and a grand gazebo. The Cultural Landscape Foundation puts it at 1.5 hectares, most of a city block, and records that the Victorian-style garden was designed in the early 1980s by Landplan Collaborative and redesigned in 2005 by Wendy Shearer. Flagstone walks radiate from a tiered fountain, there is an herb garden and a bandstand, and the Garden Club of Toronto maintains the plantings.
What it means for buyers and renters
This is the formal, quiet park of the neighbourhood, a block north of the St. Lawrence Market. It is where people sit, read and walk, not where dogs run: it is not on the City’s citywide off-leash list. For buyers in the King and Jarvis or Front and Church area, it is the green space you will pass every day.
2. Berczy Park
What it offers
Berczy Park is a small triangular park bounded by Front Street, Wellington Street and Scott Street, at the foot of the Gooderham (Flatiron) Building. The Cultural Landscape Foundation gives its size as about one acre. Claude Cormier + Associés redesigned it in 2017; the centrepiece is a fountain about 16 feet across with 27 life-size cast-iron dogs, and one cat, facing a golden bone, with water spouting from the sculptures. The redesign won a national award from the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects in 2018. The Flatiron’s trompe l’oeil mural by Derek Besant overlooks the park.
What it means for buyers and renters
Berczy is the neighbourhood’s postcard and its living room. It is lively, it is photographed constantly, and buildings around it carry that address appeal. It is not an off-leash park on the City’s list, despite the dog fountain, so keep the leash on.
3. David Crombie Park
What it offers
David Crombie Park is the green spine of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood: a 1.6-hectare linear park along The Esplanade from Lower Jarvis Street to Hahn Place, says the City. Today it has mature trees, playgrounds and swings, a basketball court with a mural wall and a wading pool, and a dog off-leash area on the City’s citywide list.
Under construction until 2028
A phased rebuild began in March 2026: blocks 2 and 5 to December 2026, block 3A in spring to fall 2027, block 3B with the wading pool from fall 2027 to spring 2028, and block 6 from spring 2027 to fall 2028. Parts of the park stay open throughout. The finished design adds plazas at the cross streets, a multi-sport court, new playgrounds, Indigenous-designed gathering spaces with a sacred fire circle, a wood stage, a water feature, a natural play trail and cycle track connections.
What it means for buyers and renters
Buy on The Esplanade now and you are beside a construction zone for up to two more summers, then beside a rebuilt park. For a long-term owner that is an upside; a tenant on a one-year lease should ask which block is fenced off.
4. Corktown Common
What it offers
Corktown Common, at 155 Bayview Avenue, is the big modern park on the east side of the Canary District. Waterfront Toronto describes 7.3 hectares (18 acres) between Bayview Avenue, the rail corridor and King Street, built on a flood protection landform and opened in July 2014, designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates. It has a splash pad, a playground, a pavilion with washrooms and a community room, a large marsh, an athletic field, lawns, a boardwalk and bike paths.
What it means for buyers and renters
For families in the Canary District and the Distillery, this is the park: a splash pad in summer and room to run year-round. It is one of the 45 parks where Council made personal alcohol consumption permanent in April 2024.
5. Underpass Park
What it offers
Underpass Park sits under and around the Eastern Avenue and Richmond and Adelaide overpasses, between Cherry Street and Bayview Avenue. Waterfront Toronto describes it as 1.05 hectares (2.5 acres), opened in two phases in 2012 and 2015, with a skateboarding area, two basketball half-courts, a playground with swings and climbing equipment, and Paul Raff Studio’s reflective public art piece, Mirage. The landscape design was by PFS Studio with The Planning Partnership.
What it means for buyers and renters
Like The Bentway in Fort York, it uses the space under a highway for things people actually do, and its roof means the courts stay usable in the rain. It is also on the City’s April 2024 list of permanent alcohol-permitted parks.
South of Queens Quay, Canada’s Sugar Beach at the foot of Lower Jarvis Street is the closest waterfront park for St. Lawrence residents; I cover it in the best parks along Harbourfront and Queens Quay.
The five parks side by side
| Park | Where | Size | Off-leash | Children’s play | What is changing |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. James Park | 120 King St E | 1.5 ha | No | Gardens, not a play park | None scheduled |
| Berczy Park | Front, Wellington and Scott streets | About 1 acre | No | Dog fountain, splash play | None scheduled |
| David Crombie Park | The Esplanade, Lower Jarvis to Hahn Place | 1.6 ha | Yes | Playgrounds, wading pool | Phased rebuild, March 2026 to fall 2028 |
| Corktown Common | 155 Bayview Ave | 7.3 ha | Not on City list | Splash pad, playground | None scheduled |
| Underpass Park | Cherry St to Bayview Ave, under Eastern Ave | 1.05 ha | No | Playground, skate area, courts | None scheduled |
Sources: City of Toronto, Waterfront Toronto and The Cultural Landscape Foundation. Construction dates are the City’s and can change.
What this means if you are buying or selling here
TRREB reports St. Lawrence in district C08, which also covers the Church–Yonge corridor, Moss Park, Cabbagetown and Regent Park. These numbers are district-wide.
| Condo apartments, August 2026 | C08 (whole district) | City of Toronto |
|---|---|---|
| Sales | 128 | 885 |
| Median price | $565,000 | $550,000 |
| Average price | $673,397 | $651,648 |
| Sale to list price | 97% | 96% |
| Average days on market | 37 | 39 |
| New listings | 350 | 2,303 |
| Active listings | 756 | 4,938 |
| Months of inventory (my arithmetic) | 5.9 | 5.6 |
| Sales to new listings (my arithmetic) | 37% | 38% |
Source: TRREB Market Watch, August 2026, condominium apartments; the calculated rows are my arithmetic. One month is a snapshot.
C08 units sold at 97 percent of list price in August, slightly firmer than the city, with about six months of supply. Older St. Lawrence buildings often have larger suites and higher fees than the new Canary District towers, so park access is one of several things a buyer weighs. When I list beside David Crombie Park, I check which block is under construction that season and say so; a surprised buyer is a lost buyer. On fees, see do high maintenance fees lower my condo value.
For buildings, see my top 5 condos to rent near St. Lawrence Market, in the Distillery and Canary District, and the L Tower and Market Wharf guides. Comparing uptown? Read the best parks at Yonge and Eglinton.
Two tools help here: the AI condo value estimator below gives you a range in about a minute, and the net proceeds calculator turns any price into what actually lands in your account.
Where I fit
I work with condo buyers and sellers across downtown Toronto and the GTA. If you want a clear read on a St. Lawrence or Distillery unit, including what the park next door is worth to buyers, book a call or phone 833-330-1925.
Free tool — AI condo value estimator
Condo Valuation
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worth today?
Three quick steps. Condos don’t price like houses — your floor, your view, and whether you own parking move the number more than anything else. This weighs all of them.
Reading recent condo sales…
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What moved the number
Starting from what comparable units in your area sell for, here’s what your specifics added or subtracted.
Market context
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That happens constantly in condos — one has the parking, the right exposure, or a board that keeps the reserve fund healthy. A model can’t see your status certificate. I can.
Frequently asked questions
Is David Crombie Park closed?
Not fully. The City began a phased rebuild in March 2026 that runs to fall 2028, one block at a time, and parts of the park stay open. The wading pool block is scheduled from fall 2027 to spring 2028. Check the City’s project page for current closures.
What is the dog fountain in Toronto?
It is the fountain in Berczy Park, off Front Street near the Gooderham (Flatiron) Building, created in Claude Cormier + Associés’ 2017 redesign. It has 27 life-size cast-iron dogs and one cat facing a golden bone, with water spouting from the sculptures. Berczy is not an off-leash park.
Where is the nearest splash pad to the Distillery District?
Corktown Common, at 155 Bayview Avenue, has a splash pad and a playground, according to Waterfront Toronto. It is 7.3 hectares, opened in July 2014, and has washrooms in its pavilion. It sits east of the Canary District, on the flood protection landform beside Bayview Avenue.
Is there a dog park in St. Lawrence?
David Crombie Park, along The Esplanade, has a dog off-leash area on the City of Toronto’s citywide list. It is under phased construction until fall 2028, so check which section is open before you go. St. James Park and Berczy Park are not off-leash parks.
Can you drink alcohol in Corktown Common?
Corktown Common and Underpass Park are both on the list of 45 parks where Toronto City Council made personal alcohol consumption permanent in April 2024. Posted rules still apply. St. James Park, Berczy Park and David Crombie Park were not on that list.
Which TRREB district is St. Lawrence in?
St. Lawrence is in TRREB district C08, with the Church–Yonge corridor and Cabbagetown. In August 2026 C08 recorded 128 condo apartment sales at a median of $565,000 and an average of $673,397, at 97 percent of list price. Those are district-wide figures.
Sources
- City of Toronto — Horticulture and garden parks — St. James Park
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation — St. James Park — 1.5 ha, history
- The Cultural Landscape Foundation — Berczy Park — 2017 redesign, dog fountain
- Wikipedia — Berczy Park — bounding streets
- City of Toronto — David Crombie Park revitalization — phasing to fall 2028
- Waterfront Toronto — Corktown Common — 7.3 ha, opened 2014
- City of Toronto — Parks and Recreation Facilities open data (Corktown Common) — 155 Bayview Ave
- Waterfront Toronto — Underpass Park — 1.05 ha, opened 2012 and 2015
- City of Toronto — Dog Off-Leash Strategy, Attachment 4: existing off-leash areas by ward (2025) — citywide list of dog off-leash areas
- Toronto City Council — Alcohol in Parks Program, item 2024.EC11.4 — 45 parks made permanent, April 2024
- TRREB — Market Watch, August 2026 — condominium apartment tables by region and municipality
Related reading
- The 5 best schools near St. Lawrence and the Distillery
- The 5 best parks along Harbourfront and Queens Quay
- Top 5 condos to rent near St. Lawrence Market
- Top 5 condos to rent in the Distillery and Canary District
- L Tower, 8 The Esplanade: a guide
- Market Wharf Condos, 18 Yonge Street: a guide
- Cabbagetown and Moss Park home values
About the author — Jatin Dua, Toronto and GTA real estate broker
I am Jatin Dua, Broker of Record and co-founder of RE/MAX Quantum Realty Inc., Brokerage, Unit 101, 799 The Queensway, Toronto. I work with buyers and sellers across Toronto and the GTA and have helped more than 100 families sell. Four-plus years of active GTA transactions and over $100 million in sales volume. Every figure here comes from a published table, regulator or statute linked in the sources, so you can check all of it without asking me.
Reach me at connect@jatindua.com or 833-330-1925, or book a call.