John Innes Community Recreation Centre

The John Innes Community Recreation Centre (JICRC) brings much-needed amenities and services to a downtown Toronto neighbourhood that has some of the largest numbers of socially vulnerable and marginalized persons in the city. Located in Moss Park, a public space of long-standing importance to the community, the project replaces an aging recreational facility and is adjacent to the venerable Moss Park Arena.

The park’s design has also been revitalized with significant input from the local Indigenous community and includes a new Ontario Line subway stop. With its program stacked over four levels to preserve green space, the design of the JICRC prioritizes transparency to the community: its grade-level programming, including the natatorium and park-facing multipurpose room, are highly visible to the outside, and it offers public washrooms and showers accessible from the park. A large green roof terrace on the second level adds outdoor amenity space and further integrates the facility with the park. Throughout the JICRC’s interior, visibility and openness across program spaces creates a vibrant, safe, and connected environment.