Whats the origin of Christie Pits/Willowvale Park?
The bowl-shaped park was, in fact, originally a pit. The Christie Sand Pits were named after Christie Street, which was named after William Mellis Christie, one of the founders of the Mr. Christie cookie manufacturers. The City acquired the land through a tax sale in 1907, and opened the land as a park. The park was named Willowvale in 1908, and was increased in size through other land purchases up to the 1920s. It was the site of the riot of 1933, when a fight between Nazi sympathizers and Jewish and Italian immigrants after a baseball game turned into a riot involving up to 10,000 people.
