RaymondTaavelPark

Raymond Taavel Park

June 2024 Birthday Party

1970s

The small park, located at 1004 Barrington Street (where Inglis turns left into Barrington) in the south end, bears a sign that includes a write-up about Taavel’s contributions to the LGBTQ community in the city.

“The contemplative part of Raymond was a really important aspect of him, which is one of the reasons we ended up finally at a park. A place where you can sit and relax and be yourself,” said long time friend and co-worker Barry Boyce.

History

July, 2014

first meeting related to a permanent memorial

November 27, 2018

HRM Asset Naming Committee unanimously approved the request, and regional council made it official

August 1, 2019

Rainbow Picnic Table installed

July 22, 2019

More than seven years after RaymondTaavel's death, and five years since a group of friends began brainstorming how to commemorate the Halifax LGBTQ activist, a grand opening for the Raymond Taavel Park was held during Pride week.

Video by Argyle Fine Art - Mayor Mike Savage, Rev Elaine Walcott, Singer, Heather Green.

June 9, 2023

Raymond's 62nd birthday party hosted by the ElderBerries. There are some photos here.

June 2026

October 4, 2025

On a warm, sunny fall afternoon OSO planning + design held a re-design public meeting in the park. The WayvesMagazine invitation is here. About (a few more people chatted at the snacks table but didn't sit down at the participation table) five adults and two young people shared their ideas about how the park could be enhanced. Ideas included a bench with a sculpture of Raymond so you could sit with him, to a speaking stage / amphitheatre, to disco dance floor, to a 3-sided shelter with a picnic table that would be usable year round, to a rainbow sculpture, to a treehouse with a slide. Much of the time was focussed on the almost entirely unused back triangle of the space.1

June 14, 2026

The ElderBerries has a picnic celebrating Raymond's birthday in the park on the mostly completed new bench system. There are photos of the event here.

Jen Frail from OSO writes: " A Place for Everyone is a project funded through the Downtown Halifax Business Commission’s Gritty to Pretty grant program. The project title A Place for Everyone is inspired by the poem that Tanya Davis wrote about Raymond for his memorial, which articulates the hope and love required to build a kinder, safer, and more compassionate city together. The bench idea and design emerged from community engagement with local businesses, nearby residents, and members of the Elderberries, who identified a need for better seating, more light, colour + vibrancy, and better use of the back of the park. The Raymond Taavel Park Bench is a playful place for folks to gather, talk to one another, and reflect on Raymond's story. The design consists of a wavy bench with round tables and a light tower. The structure is built entirely from local hemlock. The integration of colour nods to the Pride Flag, giving the bench a joyful, artful feeling. The bench was completed in June 2026 by the OSO build team."

Click the photo to zoom.

Tags: PlaceCategory