Christie Pits, Public park in Toronto, Canada.
Christie Pits is a public park at 750 Bloor Street West in Toronto, covering 21.9 acres, with most of its area lying below street level because of its sloped sides. Its sports facilities include three baseball diamonds, basketball courts, a soccer/rugby/football field, and the Alex Duff Memorial Outdoor Pool. The main baseball diamond, Dominico Field, sits in the northeast corner, with bench seats along first and third bases and a wood broadcast booth at the top of the corner.
The site held the Christie Sand Pits until the early 1900s; the park's official name was Willowvale Park until 1983, when the common name Christie Pits was adopted. On August 16, 1933, a six-hour riot broke out here after a swastika blanket was displayed at a baseball game, and a Heritage Toronto plaque marking it was installed in August 2008.
The park has long served as a gathering place for baseball games and community events. Regular tournaments here bring together neighbors from different backgrounds.
The park sits well below street level, so the sloped sides are used for tobogganing in winter. The splash pad and outdoor ice rink are on the west edge at 779 Crawford Street. Dominico Field has bench seats along first and third bases, but most spectators sit on the grass hills; players change in the washrooms near the concession stand beyond centre field.
An underground creek called Garrison Creek flows beneath the park and was converted into a sewer system in the early 1900s. This hidden waterway is a reminder of the landscape before the area became developed.
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