Enormous two-storey owl coming to Toronto's waterfront in 2025

A rerouted Don River will soon become the jewel in the crown of Toronto's ambitious Port Lands Flood Protection Project, one that will be lined by several new inviting parks and public spaces featuring some pretty bold designs.

One new park set to open along the river's renaturalized mouth in 2025 will be home to an enormous two-storey owl-shaped structure that you can venture inside of.

The Snowy Owl installation is just one of a handful of animal-shaped structures that will grace this public space on the north side of the new river valley.

The Snowy Owl will mark the first permanent structure added as part of the Port Lands revitalization when it is installed next year at the western edge of Villiers Island.

While designed as a play structure, the Snowy Owl will be accessible to both kids and adults.

It includes a stage built into its belly, an upper-level viewing area, and is surrounded by seating designed to visually read as the owl's nest. The structure includes features like bells, drums, and talk tubes that will foster impromptu performances in the park.

Construction of this new feature is already well underway, and Waterfront Toronto has shared new images of the ongoing progress behind the scenes. The owl is nearly fully fabricated in an off-site warehouse and is just awaiting its paint and other minor finishing touches before installation next spring.

The owl is just one of many new placemaking features that will draw visitors into the former industrial lands, helping to animate this pocket of the city for an exciting new future.

The owl structure is planned to open in summer 2025.