MARKHAM, ONT.—Almost 10 years to the day after the launch of its $4-billion Downtown Markham multi-use development, the Remington Group unveiled a centrepiece art installation and gathering space on July 1 known as the Pride of Canada Carousel.
The carousel is a 50-foot merry-go-round featuring 44 rideable sculptures with whimsical characters including a beaver, a bumblebee, a moose, a mermaid and a Canadian Mountie, all made from repurposed materials.
The project was commissioned by Christopher Bratty of the Remington Group to be a focal point of the Remington Contemporary Art Gallery, a $25-million public art initiative for the development.
The 243-acre Downtown Markham development at Birchmount Road and Enterprise Boulevard has been described as the most ambitious mixed-use development underway in Canada.
When completed in 2025 it will feature 3.4-million square feet of office space, two-million square feet of retail and dining space, 10,000 residential units in condo towers and townhouses and a new campus for York University.
The development will also include 100,000-plus square feet of fitness facilities, a 200-room Boutique Marriott Hotel, a 2,400-seat movie theatre plus plans for a 20,000-seat sports, special events and cultural venue. There will be 5,000 parking spaces as well as a public transit hub.
The Pride of Canada Carousel was created by Canadian-born urban folk artist Patrick Amiot, a specialist at creating art out of found objects. Amiot works in tandem with his wife Brigitte Laurent out of Sebastopol, Calif. with Amiot sculpting and Laurent painting.
Daniel Horenberger of Brass Ring Carousel Company built the carousel, which is housed in an open glass pavilion designed by Toronto-based architect Sheldon Levitt of Quadrangle Architects. Other elements of the public art program will be a children’s art park, street art and an outdoor museum.
The developers bill Downtown Markham as part of the largest urban park in North America with the largest collection of LEED certified buildings in North America.
The Pride of Canada Carousel is open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. year round. The cost is $2 per ride.
The Pride of Canada Carousel in Markham, Ont. was unveiled to the public July 1 as an artistic centrepoint within the Remington Group’s $4-billion Downtown Markham multi-use development. The carousel was created by artist Patrick Amiot and built by Brass Ring Carousel Company in an open glass pavilion designed by Quadrangle Architects.
Photo: Don Wall"
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