The boardwalk at Sunnyside Amusement Park was packed at its opening in 1922, as Toronto residents swam in Lake Ontario, and later dive into a new swimming pool, called the tank.

Called ‘the poor man’s Riviera,’ Sunnyside was this City’s most popular bathing and amusement spot from 1922 until 1955, when it was shut down due to the motor car.

The park was a carnival from the May 24 weekend until Labour Day, with crowds of people strolling the boardwalk or enjoying the many amusement rides while chowing down on oily fast foods; similar to what the CNE is today.

Sunnyside was approved by City Council in 1912 and built at a cost of $19-million. Construction work stopped in 1914 due to World War 1. It resumed on 1,400 acres of reclaimed land.

The iconic Bathing Pavilion was designed to hold 7,700 bathers and had a roof garden where 400 guests could purchase refreshments.

Popular features were the amusement park, concession stands, dance pavilion, and an open-air theatre called the Band Stand. The annual Easter Parade took place on the boardwalk, along with The Miss Toronto beauty contests and women’s softball games.

Fans also packed the Palais Royale dance hall which attracted famous big bands as Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Paul Whiteman and the Dorsey Brothers. The admission was 10-cents and 5-cents a dance.

Thousands of people descended on the park to visit the beach or concession stands; which rented beach chairs, boats, or sold root beer, popcorn and hotdogs.

There was also a drug store, guess-your-weight scales, high-powered telescopes, souvenir stands, a delicatessen, sight-seeing services and a shoe-shine shop.

People loved rides as the Whip, Aero Swing, Dodgem, the Frolic and a merry-go-round. The games of chance included: Monkey Racer, Coney Racer, a shooting gallery, Kentucky Derby, Torpedo Race, Balloon Race and Figure 8.

Families would leave home early to spend all day at the beach to catch the dog races, diving horses, fireworks displays and burning of old sailing vessels to attract crowds.

But in the late-1940s and early-1950s, automobiles became more affordable and families began travelling north to Muskoka or Georgian Bay to escape the summer heat.

The Toronto Harbour Commission ordered the demolition of Sunnyside and by late 1956, the retreat that generations had known and loved, became a memory, with the land buried under the Gardiner Expressway and widened Lakeshore Blvd.

With files by Mike Filey.