ALEXANDRA PARK
HISTORY
Alexandra Park's history revolves around Sir Casimir Gzowski, a Polish engineer who immigrated to Toronto in 1841. Gzowski's distinguished career included the building of the Grand Trunk Railway from Toronto to Sarnia.

 

The Gzowski residence stood at the south-east corner of Bathurst and Dundas Streets. This former Toronto landmark was known simply as "The Hall". In 1904, the City of Toronto purchased "The Hall" and its environs for use as a public park. This park was named Alexandra Park after Queen Alexandra.

 

The Alexandra Park neighbourhood has been the first home for many new Canadians. In the 1920's and 30's large numbers of Polish and Ukrainian immigrants settled here. They were soon followed by immigrants from Germany, Italy, Greece, Portugal and Hungary.

 

In 1964 Toronto City council approved plans for the Alexandra Park Housing Cooperative. This led to the expropriation of sixteen acres of private property and the subsequent demolition of many Alexandra Park houses. Today the Alexandra Park Housing Cooperative forms a vital part of this inner city neighbourhood.

 

 

OVERVIEW
Alexandra Park has two distinct communities that are literally intertwined within the streets of this neighbourhood. The old section of Alexandra Park consists of privately owned residences, while the newer sections of the neighbourhood are part of the Alexandra Park Cooperative, which provides partially subsidized housing.

 

This mix of private and public housing in Alexandra Park seems to work, as both old and new complement each other in this small downtown Toronto neighbourhood.

 

 

BEACONSFIELD VILLAGE
HISTORY
Beaconsfield Village history begins with the Denison family who were the major landholders in this district dating back to the early 1800's.

 

Captain John Denison was the owner of "Brookfield", built around 1815, at the north-west corner of Queen and Ossington. Henry Scadding recounts in his book Toronto Of Old, "Brookfield house was shaded by great willow trees and surrounded by flower gardens and lawns, no mean feat in an area of virgin forest."

 

The Denison heirs sold Brookfield in the 1850's. By the 1870's a network of streets had been laid out on the former Brookfield estate.

 

Beaconsfield Avenue became the signature street in the neighbourhood. It is named after former British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli, who was given the title of Lord Beaconsfield by Queen Victoria.

 

OVERVIEW
This downtown Toronto neighbourhood has a large Portuguese population that is centred around the Rua Acores shopping district on Dundas Street West.

 

Beaconsfield is popular with members of Toronto's arts community who have gradually migrated westward along Queen Street to the affordable houses and studios found in this neighbourhood.

BICKFORD PARK

HISTORY
The Bickford Park neighbourhood is named after Colonel E. Oscar Bickford, a former Toronto businessman and politician.

 

OVERVIEW
The Bickford Park neighbourhood revolves around the Bob Abate Centre and the Bickford Park playground. These local landmarks are the social and recreational hubs of this family oriented community.

 

Originally settled by Jewish, Italian, and Portuguese immigrants, Bickford Park is still home to people from a wide range of cultural backgrounds. Affordable houses, excellent shopping and convenient access to public transit are hallmarks of this neighbourhood.

CABBAGETOWN

HISTORY
Cabbagetown's history began in the 1840's when thousands of Irish immigrants settled here after fleeing the potato famins in their homeland. These first Cabbagetown residents were very poor. To put food on the table they grew cabbages on their front lawns, which is how this district came to be known as Cabbagetown

Cabbagetown's working class community was particulary hard hit by the Depression of the 1930's. Cabbagetown historian Hugh Garner, wrote that the Depression turned Cabbagetown into "the worst Anglo Saxon slum in North America". The worst slums were concentrated south of Gerrard Street. These homes were razed in the 1950's and replaced by the Regent Park housing development.

 

Cabbagetown was revitalized in the 1970's and 1980's by new home buyers, who restored much of this neighbourhoods fine collection of Victorian homes. Cabbagetown is now considered one of Toronto's most gentrified neighbourhoods.

 

OVERVIEW
Cabbagetown is one of Toronto's most popular neighbourhoods. Its residents come from a wide variety of backgrounds, however they all share a strong sense of community spirit and pride in their neighbourhood.

This community spirit is put on display every September during the Cabbagetown Fall Festival that runs for an entire weekend and features a mini marathon, historical walking tours, a parade and a community wide yard sale.

CORKTOWN

HISTORY
Corktown was originally settled by working class immigrants in the early 1800's. Many of these families came from the County of Cork in Ireland, which explains how this neighbourhood became known as Corktown.

 

Most Corktown residents found employment at one of the local breweries or brickyards. These families were very poor and could not afford the lofty pew rents at nearby St. James Cathedral. This led to the building of their own "Little Trinity Church" in 1843. Little Trinity Church is still standing today at 417 King Street East.

 

The Trinity Schoolhouse on Trinity Street, just south of Little Trinity Church was built in 1848. This was Toronto's first 'free school'. Its benefactor was Enoch Turner, a prominent Corktown brewer, and one of Toronto's great philanthropists.

 

A century and a half later children and adults are still being educated in the Trinity Schoolhouse, which is now run as a museum designed to replicate a mid-nineteenth century classroom.

 

OVERVIEW
Corktown is one of the more affordable downtown Toronto neighbourhoods. It has recently become popular with young professionals, who find this location extremely convenient to Toronto's downtown business and entertainment districts.

 

New and more relaxed zoning bylaws in the Corktown district have resulted in the speedy conversion of many of Corktown's commercial buildings into live-in work studios, condominium lofts and professional offices, all of which has helped to revitalize the entire neighbourhood.

DOWNTOWN

HISTORY
The Downtown was originally settled by some of early Toronto's most prominent families. The street names in this neighbourhood are clues to its rich history.

 

For instance Jarvis Street is named after the family of William Jarvis, the former provincial secretary of Upper Canada.

 

Homewood Avenue is named after the estate of George Allan, a former mayor of Toronto.

McGill Street is named after Captain John McGill, and Sherbourne Street commemorates the ancestral home of the Ridout family who came to Canada from Sherbourne, Dorsetshire, England. When the aforementioned families subdivided their large estates in the mid 1800's, the current neighbourhood was born.

 

The mansions on Jarvis and Sherbourne streets set the tone for the Downtown which up until the early 1900's, was considered Toronto's most fashionable suburb.

 

OVERVIEW
Downtown Toronto residents come from a myriad of different backgrounds, and span the entire spectrum of the socio-economic scale.

 

There is a large number of rental accommodations in this neighbourhood. This reflects the mobility of the population, which is comprised mostly of singles and couples.

DUFFERIN GROVE

HISTORY
The Dufferin Grove district was first settled by the Denison Family, who emigrated to Canada from England in 1792.

 

The Denisons were active participants in Toronto's early military and political affairs. Their country villas were Toronto landmarks, that had titles such as "Dover Court", "Rush Holme", and "Heydon Villa".

 

In 1834, with the city encroaching at their doorstep, the Denisons decided to clear the dense forest covering their property, and began cultivating this land.

 

The fertile soil in the area yielded abundant crops and brought the Denisons great wealth. However, by the 1880's, the value of the Denison estates lay in housing development not agriculture. Thus rows of crops were gradually replaced by rows of houses and the current neighbourhood was developed.

 

OVERVIEW
The Dufferin Grove neighbourhood is home to working class and middle class families from many different cultural backgrounds. The whole neighbourhood has recently been revitalized by improvements to Dufferin Grove Park.

GRANGE PARK

HISTORY
Grange Park was Toronto's first elite neighbourhood. It is named after Grange House, built in 1817, by D'Arcy Boulton Jr., a member of one of early Toronto's wealthiest and most prominent families.

Grange House ˜ now part of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and the mansions on Beverley Street, are the sole reminders of this neighbourhood's period of affluence.

 

In the late 1800's, Grange Park's upper class gentry headed for the newer more fashionable suburbs in Parkdale, Rosedale and the Annex.

 

By the early 1900's, Grange Park's large estates had been transformed into rows of modest workers' houses that became home to many new Canadians.

 

Jewish immigrants were followed by Eastern Europeans and most recently the Chinese; who migrated to Grange Park after Toronto's first Chinatown at Dundas and Elizabeth Street was razed in the 1960's, to make room for the new City Hall.

 

OVERVIEW
The Grange Park neighbourhood has become synonymous with Toronto's Chinatown district. Grange Park's street signs, telephone booths, and even the local police station, all have signage in Chinese as well as English.

 

Grange Park is also home to a large number of artists. The Art Gallery of Ontario, Ontario Crafts Council, and Ontario College of Art, are all located in Grange Park.

HARBOURFRONT

HISTORY
Toronto's Harbourfront district was created from landfill in the early 1800's. It quickly developed into a tangled web of industry that included shipping facilities, warehouses, railway tracks, grain silos, and factories, all dotting the shoreline. Unfortunately, these physical barriers cut Harbourfront off from the rest of Toronto.

 

It wasn't until 1972, with the creation of the federally sponsored Harbourfront Corporation, that Toronto citizens began to reclaim their waterfront. Harbourfront has been undergoing a renaissance ever since.

 

A shining example of Harbourfront's transformation is the Queens Quay Terminal. This building was one of the largest warehouses in North America when it opened in 1927. The Terminal was remodelled in 1980, and today includes a successful mix of high end residential, commercial, and retail space all under one roof.

 

OVERVIEW
The Harbourfront neighbourhood incorporates a unique blend of residential, cultural, recreational, and commercial uses, all within the same community.

 

Harbourfront also serves as Toronto's playground by the lake. It is enjoyed by all Toronto residents, as well as being a popular destination point for tourists.

KENSINGTON

HISTORY
Kensington was originally part of a 100 acre Park Lot granted to Captain John Denison in 1815. By the 1870's, this district had developed into a middle class Anglo-Saxon neighbourhood with distinctive British street names such as Kensington Avenue, Fitzroy Terrace, Oxford Street and Wales Avenue.

 

The Kensington neighbourhood began to change in the early 1900's when Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, started to settle here. Excluded from the Toronto business community, Kensington's Jewish families opened stalls in front of their houses, and sold goods to each other. This Jewish market was the start of an old world marketplace in the heart of the Kensington neighbourhood.

Since the 1940's, Kensington has attracted immigrants from all parts of the world, and it is now one of Toronto's most culturally diverse neighbourhoods.

 

Ed Note: Former Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman was born and raised in the Kensington neighbourhood.

LITTLE ITALY

HISTORY
It was during the 1920's that College Street's 'Little Italy', became recognized as the residential and commercial centre of Toronto's Italian community.

 

However, by the 1960's, many of Little Italy's residents began to move north to the the Corso Italia district on St. Clair Avenue West.

 

The Italian families that moved out of Little Italy were replaced by Portuguese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Spanish families. This mix of cultures gives Little Italy the international flavour that it enjoys today.

 

In 1985, the local business association on College Street officially adopted the Little Italy name in recognition of the role this neighbourhood has played as the starting point for Italians in Toronto.

OVERVIEW
Little Italy is not an exclusively Italian neighbourhood, as its name might suggest. While there is still a strong Italian community in this neighbourhood, there is also a large Portuguese population centred around the First Portuguese Canadian Cultural Centre on College Street, and the Portugal Village shopping district on Dundas Street West.

Today, Little Italy's Italian and Portuguese residents are welcoming new neighbours from around the world to what is now considered one of Toronto's most multi-cultural neighbourhoods.

MOSS PARK

HISTORY
The Moss Park neighbourhood was originally part of a 100 acre Park Lot owned by William Allan, one of early Toronto's wealthiest citizens. In 1830, Allan built a huge mansion on his estate and named it Moss Park. The mansion stood were the city park of the same name is today. 

 

When Allan passed away in 1853, he left his Moss Park estate to his son George, who would later become the Mayor of Toronto. George Allan, immediately subdivided his father's estate and this area soon became known for its Victorian homes.

 

Today, little is left of the original Moss Park neighbourhood. Its houses were demolished in 1962 in order to make room for the Moss Park Apartment Buildings which comprise the current Moss Park neighbourhood.

 

OVERVIEW
Moss Park is one of Toronto's largest public housing projects. It is situated in the poorest part of the city. The Salvation Army Hostel is located across the street from Moss Park at the corner of Sherbourne and Queen Street. 

 

The Moss Park neighbourhood is anchored on the west side by a large public park which also happens to be the home of the Moss Park Armoury, a training centre for the Canadian Armed Forces.

NIAGARA

HISTORY
The Niagara neighbourhood has a rich history that dates back to 1793, when it was part of a military garrison for the fledgling Town of York. Old Fort York, is still standing on Garrison Road, between Bathurst Street and Strachan Avenue.

 

Street names in the Niagara neighbourhood are reminders of its military past. For example: Stanley Street is named after the former Stanley Barracks now located on the Exhibition grounds, Niagara Street is named after the former military capital of Upper Canada, and Tecumseh Street is named for the great warrior chief of the Shawnee, who fought for Canada, in the war of 1812.

 

The second chapter in this neighbourhood's history began in the 1850's, when Niagara emerged as a prominent industrial centre. Niagara's factories and mills created a demand for workers housing which led ultimately to the residential development of the Niagara neighbourhood in the mid to late 1800's.

 

OVERVIEW
Niagara is a mixed residential and industrial neighbourhood. As of 1994 the City of Toronto had recorded approximately 3,107 dwelling units, and 647 industrial firms in the Niagara neighbourhood. This neighbourhood is now in transition however as the trend is towards more residential accomodations and less industry.

The physical and social centre of Niagara is Stanley Park, a multi-recreational facility that is well used by area residents. Niagara offers convenient access to Toronto's business and entertainment districts. It is also very handy to the Skydome, Exhibition Place, the Harbourfront, and the Toronto Islands.

REGENT PARK

HISTORY
Regent Park rose from the rubble of what was once the south part of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. During the 1930's, South Cabbagetown was one of Toronto's worst slums and as such was targeted by Toronto city planners for a grand urban renewal scheme called Regent Park.

 

Built in 1949 Regent Park holds the distinction of being Canada's first public housing project. Regent Park was expanded in the 1950's to include the area south of Gerrard Street, which came to be known as Regent Park South.

OVERVIEW
Regent Park is Toronto's largest public housing project. It is home to more than ten thousand people and is managed by the Metro Toronto Housing Authority.

 

Regent Park residents come from a wide variety of cultural backgrounds including many new Canadians from Africa, Asia, and Latin America. There are more than sixty different first languages spoken here making Regent Park one of Toronto's most culturally diverse neighbourhoods.

SOUTH ANNEX

HISTORY
The South Annex neighbourhood was subdivided in the early 1850's, on land formerly owned by the Jarvis, Crookshank and Denison families; all of whom played a prominent role in the history of Toronto.

 

Advertisements promoting Villa and Town lots for sale in the South Annex highlighted " the close proximity to the locality of the new Parliament Buildings". The South Annex was also popularly described as being "situated in the most healthy and pleasant part of the City upon a considerable elevation above the Lake".

 

The establishment of the University of Toronto just east of here, in the late 1850's, provided the impetus for the building of homes in the South Annex, which took place largely between the 1870's and early 1900's.

 

OVERVIEW
The South Annex is a vibrant and colourful downtown Toronto neighbourhood. Much of the South Annex's vitality comes from being located right next door to the University of Toronto.

 

Naturally, many University students, faculty, and alumni rent or own houses in the South Annex. The University population mixes well with the young urban professionals who have been buying and fixing up South Annex houses, giving these old houses new life, and in the process revitalizing this historic Toronto neighbourhood.

ST. JAMES TOWN 

HISTORY
St. James Town began in the 1870's as a desirable upper middle class neighbourhood. It was filled with picturesque Victorian houses and remained popular with Toronto home buyers until well into the 1900's.

 

A turning point for the St. James Town neighbourhood occurred in 1953 when the City of Toronto announced major zoning amendments for the downtown core. The new zoning significantly increased building coverage in St. James Town making it an instant target for private developers.

 

By the end of the 1950's, a consortium of developers had bought up and demolished St. James Town's entire housing stock in order to build Toronto's first high-rise residential apartment towers.

The St. James Town apartments were originally planned and designed as a neighbourhood for upwardly mobile singles and professionals. However, almost from the start St. James Town has been populated by low to moderate income families.

 

OVERVIEW
St. James Town contains eighteen high-rise apartment buildings, almost seven thousand units, and over fifteen thousand residents, in an area of 32.1 acres. These demographics combine to make St. James Town the most densely populated census tract in Canada.

 

In September of 1997 the former City of Toronto council approved St. James Town 2000: A Community Action Plan which aims to revitalize St. James Town through initiatives such as the building of a multi-service community centre, improvements to parks, and the maintenance and repair of St. James Town buildings.

ST. LAWRENCE

HISTORY
The land on which the St. Lawrence neighbourhood is built was originally part of the shoreline of Lake Ontario. Immediately to the north of here, above Front Street, was the Town of York, the forerunner to the City of Toronto.

 

The site of the present day St. Lawrence neighbourhood was created from landfill in the early 1800's. It was originally intended to serve as a public promenade with a grand Esplanade along the waterfront. However the city turned the land over to the railways, which in turn attracted industry to the St. Lawrence area.

 

By the early 1900's, St. Lawrence had become one of Toronto's most prominent industrial centres. It remained a vital industrial area until the late 1940's, when Toronto's industrial base began moving outside of the city.

 

Consequently, St. Lawrence went into a period of decline which lasted until the 1970's, when Toronto politicians made the decision to create the present day St. Lawrence neighbourhood.

OVERVIEW
Planned and developed by the City of Toronto in the 1970's as a mixed use housing development, the St.Lawrence neighbourhood has been critically acclaimed as a major success story in urban planning. It has become a model for the design and planning of new neighbourhoods across North America.

 

A housing crisis during World War Two led to the winterization of Island cottages and marked the beginning of year round occupancy on the Toronto Islands. Once the war was over, Metro mandated that all the Island houses be demolished so that the Toronto Islands could be used exclusively as parkland.

 

Only the communities of Ward's Island and Algonquin Island survived the city's wrecking crews. However, their status remained clouded until 1994 when the province signed a 99 year lease deal with Toronto Island residents, that finally secured the future of the "Islanders" and their neighbourhood.

 

OVERVIEW
The Toronto Island communities are located on Ward's and Algonquin Islands. There are a combined total of 250 houses, and approximately 650 residents on these two Islands.

 

Island residents own their own houses but lease their property from the provincial government. At the present time there is a purchasers' waiting-list of over three hundred people who hope to one day assume a lease on the Islands.

 

The Toronto Islands are the only Toronto neighbourhood that does not allow cars. Walking and cycling are the standard modes of transportation here.

TREFANN COURT

HISTORY
Trefann Court began as a working class neighbourhood in the mid 1800's. Its future was threatened in 1966, when Toronto city planners recommended that Trefann Court's deteriorated housing stock be demolished and the entire neighbourhood be rebuilt from scratch.

 

The city's plans were vigorously opposed by Trefann Court residents who were led by a young lawyer named John Sewell - who later became Mayor of Toronto. In response to Toronto city planners, Trefann Court residents created their own blueprint to save their neighbourhood. The residents' plan advocated restoring the existing housing stock wherever possible, and replacing dilapidated houses with new houses that would be in keeping with the neighbourhood. This plan was adopted by city council in 1972.

 

The battle over Trefann Court was historically significant in that it brought forth new urban planning ideas that advocated greater community involvement, less government interference and an enlightened interest in rehabilitating and preserving Toronto's historic neighbourhoods.

 

OVERVIEW
Trefann Court is a quiet little pocket of homes located in the downtown section of Toronto. This affordable Toronto neighbourhood includes a mix of both public and private housing.

 

Trefann Court is conveniently located near Toronto's waterfront, as well as the city's business and entertainment districts.

TRINITY-BELLWOODS

HISTORY 
In the early 1800's, Trinity-Bellwoods was part of a tract of land belonging to Captain Samuel Smith. Smith named his one hundred acre Park Lot 'Gore Vale'. Gore was in honour of Lieutenant-Governor Francis Gore, and Vale denoted the ravine that is now Trinity-Bellwoods Park.

 

The lower half of Gore Vale became the grounds of Trinity College, after which this neighbourhood is named. Trinity College was built in 1852, on the site where Trinity-Bellwoods Park is now situated. The entrance gates to Trinity College are still standing at the foot of Queen Street and Strachan Avenue, and serve as a lonely reminder of this once proud institution.

 

The present day neighbourhood began to take shape in the 1880's. By the early 1900's, the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood was completely developed.

 

OVERVIEW
The focal point of this inner-city neighbourhood is the very picturesque Trinity-Bellwoods Park, which spans the entire length of the neighbourhood. This park features a paved walking path that is highlighted by distinguished cast iron lamp poles and a lush greenery.

In addition to Trinity-Bellwoods Park, this neighbourhood also features affordable Victorian houses, excellent shopping districts, and convenient access to major transportation routes for motorists and pedestrians.