Highlights

Map

A bas relief of a two large gears and a figure holding a tool belt next to the word "Ontario."

Provincial Panels-A

The 12 sculpted panels at Guild Park came from the Bank of Montreal building (1948 - 72) at King and Bay in Toronto. The bas-reliefs display the dynamism and natural resources of Canada’s provinces and territories. They were created by some of Canada’s best sculptors of the 20th Century, The panels at A. are Ontario and Quebec, by Francis Loring; B.C. by Jacobine Jones; and N.S. by Donald Stewart.

A red buliding facade that depicts a lion head over a shield with a horn hainging from it.

Front Garden

Mixing modern art and neo-classic architecture the four iconic columns are from Toronto’s Bankers Bond building (1920 -73) and based on the Erechtheum Temple at Athens Acropolis. The red sandstone facade was part of the Temple Building (1895 - 1970), home of the IOF, Independent Order of Foresters. It was once the tallest structure in Toronto and the British Empire. The black steel triangle, Spaceplough (1981), is by renowned sculptor Sorel Etrog.

A bas relief of a figure holding a overflowing bucket of potatos with the words "Prince Edward Island."

Provincial Panels-B

Behind Guild Inn Estate is another set of four panels from the Bank of Montreal; Newfoundland by Donald Stewart; Arctic by Emanuel Hahn; P.E.I. and New Brunswick by Florence Wyle.

A Plaque titled Rosa and Spencer Clark that details the history of the two figures.

The Clark Plaque

Recognizes the life work of philanthropists Rosa and Spencer Clark. On this site, the couple founded the Guild of All Arts in 1932. It evolved into their popular Guild Inn, which closed in 2001.

A suclpture depicting a woman siting on a stool covered with a sheet.

Musidora

The oldest art piece on site. Sculpted in 1875 by Marshall Wood, it was inspired by a maiden in a Greek poem by Ovid. Wood’s marble carvings are found worldwide, including his Queen Victoria statue in Ottawa’s Parliamentary Library.

A sculpture of bear with its head bowed and its snout between its two front paws.

The Bear

Carved here in 1979 by Michael Clay, resident sculptor at the Guild of All Arts, and his mentor, E.B. Cox. The figure is a brown bear, though made of white limestone. The tough surface shows how the work was done with air powered tools.

A red brick gateway. The gate itself is made of black metal and is fairly ornate.

Gate at the Bluffs

The red brick and stone gates preserve fragments of the Produce Exchange Building (1890 - 1980). The original pieces and capitals adorn the newer brickwork. The breath-taking vista from atop the Scarborough Bluffs is some 60 meters (200 feet) above Lake Ontario

Mobius Curve

Carved in 1982 from a 15-ton block of limestone by Guild resident sculptor Michael Clay. It depicts the one-sided geometric shape defined by German mathematician August Mobius in 1858

A large roofless greek style theatre with eight Corinthian columns, there are three parados entrances, with the keystone of each depicting the head of Herakles.

Greek Theatre

Guild Park’s landmark was built from the white columns and arches from the Bank of Toronto building (1914 - 1965). The bank’s design was inspired by the Paris stock market. The ornate building was replaced by the modern TD Centre. Canadian architect Ron Thom designed the Greek Theatre by repurposing the fragments. It opened in 1982 on the 50th anniversary of the Guild of All Arts. The stage continues to be used for live performances

A bas relief of a figure carrying two containers beside the words "Manatoba"

Provincial Panels-C

This set of bas-reliefs from the Bank of Montreal building depicts Manitoba and Saskatchewan, by Elizabeth Wyn Wood; Alberta by Jacobine Jones; and Northwest by Emanuel Hahn

A brown log cabin with a single white door and a window with a white frame.

“Pioneer” Log Cabin

Many stories surround this cabin, most of them wrong (including the nearby plaque). Studies date this cabin to the 1850’s, when the Humphry’s, an Irish family, farmed the site. The cabin was a studio for the Guild’s last resident sculptor, Elizabeth Fraser Williamson.

Clark Centre for the Arts

The original modest two-storey structure of concrete blocks was built in 1963 as office/storage space for Spencer Clark. Its façade includes panels saved from the old Globe & Mail building on King Street and the round Marguretta stone from the Toronto Armouries (1891-1963) near University Avenue. The Clark Centre opened in 2022 with an added third floor, giving extra space for year-round public art classes, exhibits and artist studio.

A sculpture of a man in monk's robe petting a wolf.

St. Francis and the Wolf

St. Francis and the Wolf is a limestone sculpture displayed in Guild Park’s south garden. It’s the work of Thomas Bowie, the Scottish-born sculptor who was artist-in-residence at the Guild of All Arts from 1953 to 1964.

The figure of the sainted monk with his wild, four-legged companion was commissioned in 1954 by Rosa Clark, She, with her husband, Spencer Clark, founded, owned and operated the historic Guild of All Arts from 1932 to 1978.

Rosa wanted an original work for the Guild’s formal gardens with an animal theme. Bowie, who also headed the sculpture department at the then Ontario College of Art, created the work at his on-site studio, now known as the Sculptor’s Cabin.

St. Francis and the Wolf was unveiled in 1955 and remained on display until sometime in the 1990s, when the one-metre-tall sculpture was damaged. It was removed for restoration and returned in 2019, about 20 years later.

A large garden filled with large flowers with a wooden cabin with a stone chimney in the background.

The Sculptor’s Cabin, Pollinator Garden, Heritage Plaque

The cabin was built in 1940 as a studio for sculptors during the historic era of the Guild of All Arts. The builder was a Danish woodworker, who included carvings from Norse legends. The original images were replaced by Dorsey James, the last artist to use this cabin. After being closed for decades, the City of Toronto rebuilt and reopened the cabin in 2019. Today it is a seasonal visitors centre and community facility operated in partnership with Friends of Guild Park.

Beside the cabin is Guild Park's first Native Pollinator Garden, started by local volunteer gardeners in spring 2022. The habitat supports birds, butterflies and other insects year-round. The garden earned the City of Toronto award for best community garden in 2024. A sign about the garden is nearby.

Also nearby is Guild Park’s first official heritage plaque, installed by Heritage Toronto in 2020. It recognizes the site’s historic Guild of All Arts (1932-1995). Funding for the Toronto Heritage plaque was through a public campaign launched by Friends of Guild Park.

A plaque in front of a young oak tree in mulch.

Guild Park’s Vimy Oaks

Two commemorative Vimy Oaks planted here are reminders of the proud military legacy of Canada, Scarborough and Guild Park itself.

These trees are direct descendants of the European oaks that grew on the WW I battleground of Vimy Ridge in France. This was where Canadian soldiers won a pivotal victory in April 1917. Today, the monumental Canadian National Vimy Memorial, shown on Canada's $20 bill, marks the French site.

Canadian Lieutenant Leslie Miller, collected acorns from that battlefield and later planted them at his family’s farm in Scarborough. Some of these oaks are still growing today and provided the source material for these trees at Guild Park.

The Guild Park site has served as home to a military leader, training grounds for women in the naval reserve (WRENS) and a hospital for recuperating WWII veterans. Near the Vimy Oaks at Guild Park is a special plaque, describing the trees as “a living tribute to all Canadian soldiers who fought in the First World War.