Crescent Town Club – Toronto

“For me, the place that is a concrete example of quality is primarily tied to my own identity growing up. The place is the Crescent Town Club in Toronto, Ontario. It is located within Crescent Town, a classic ‘Towers in the Park’ development sandwiched between Dawes Road and Victoria Park Boulevard in the former Borough of East York. It was completed in 1971 and is currently home to many newcomers. The Crescent Town Club is part community centre-part sports facility-part hang out place. The club itself is unique in that is a private amenity for the condos and rental buildings around it, but anyone can join, and it is an incredibly affordable way to access swimming, racquet sports, basketball, a gym, community programming from kids camp to dance to programs for newcomers and seniors and more. It serves highly diverse folks and has partnerships with non-profits and city agencies to deliver services.

The building itself was built in the late 60s, and the 25-metre pool is my favourite – one of the walls is all glass – letting you see out to the trees beyond the plants scattered on the deck. I grew up competitive swimming here (see photo), almost every morning at 5:30am (or 6:30am on weekends) and at night in the gym from 10 to 22 years old. The smell of the chlorine, the pool itself, all bring back significant memories, and remind me of the strong place attachment I have to this community centre, especially as it was my home away from home. It is where I learned life’s important lessons and shaped me into the person I am today.

Crescent Town Club is an example of a modernist, utilitarian building in a classically critiqued ‘Towers in the Park’ neighbourhood. However, despite its age, it has been lovingly cared for through the generations to serve the communities around it. But it has also been shaped by the community – (re)making and (re)purposing spaces to suit the needs of community in the moment. I think that quality in the built environment is inherently socio-spatial – that people shape places, and places shape people. It is more about creating potentiality in space for social interactions and community life than anything else.” (Booklet Positive Lived Experiences of Quality in the Built Environment 2023, p.91).

Google map link: https://www.google.com/maps/place/Crescent+Town+Club/@43.6958146,-79.2949213,17z/data=!3m2!4b1!5s0x89d4cc27bb2fba4d:0xed2c3f1b47489cff!4m6!3m5!1s0x89d4cc26552ca0fb:0x224451e207a26618!8m2!3d43.6958108!4d-79.2923464!16s%2Fg%2F1td3970p?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI0MDkxOC4xIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D