07/16/2026
Opened on July 16, 2021, Grasett Park celebrates the response of the City of Toronto, particularly its physicians, nurses and other caregivers, to the influx of Irish migrants during the summer of 1847. Many of these migrants arrived gravely afflicted with typhus, known then as ship fever.
Located at the corner of Adelaide Street West and Widmer Street (on the same plot of land as Toronto’s first purpose-built General Hospital), the park is named after Dr. George Robert Grasett, who was appointed Medical Superintendent of the Hospital in June 1847 and who – along with fellow doctors, nurses, orderlies and other caregivers – died shortly thereafter from the same illness he sought to treat. Dr. Grasett died at age 36 and Grasett Park was opened on the 174th anniversary of his death.
These courageous individuals played an important role in the medical history of the city. At the time, Toronto’s population was roughly 20,000. The arrival of 38,560 Irish migrants fleeing the Great Famine, including thousands who became sick during the perilous journey, quickly overwhelmed the Hospital’s capacity and resources. Temporary fever sheds were erected in the field behind the hospital, where Grasett Park now stands.
Designed by Denegri Bessai Studio, the glass sculpture recalls the fever sheds that once stood on the site. The glass is imprinted with a design mimicking the sheets of cheesecloth that were used both to bandage and provide modest privacy to patients. The names of the caregivers who perished are engraved on the benches within the park.
To learn more about Grasett Park, visit: https://www.canadairelandfoundation.com/explore/grasett-park/
