Yorkville was initially separate from the city of Toronto. Taking after Toronto’s original name, the village was founded in 1830 by brewery entrepreneur Joseph Bloore—who also lent his name to what has become one of the city’s main arteries, Bloor Street—and William Jarvis, who also gave his name to one of the city’s streets. The community continued to grow, and in 1883, it was annexed by the city of Toronto. In the 1960s Yorkville was the bohemian hub of the city, cultivating Canadian musicians such as Joni Mitchell and Neil Young, as well as iconic literary figures such as Margaret Atwood and Gwendolyn MacEwan. Into the 1980s, however, the neighbourhood started taking on the character of a high-end shopping district, as it is known today. Source:
In the 1930s the TTC had streetcar routes running all over the city. Last week, I stumbled across this great map of the TTC’s streetcar routes in 1932 and this week we have a listing out right now in Danforth Village, one of the areas in the city that developed from the 1910s thru the 1930s as a streetcar suburb along the Danforth streetcar line. Most of the housing to the north and south of the street dates from this period. In 1966 the Bloor-Danforth subway line replaced the streetcar. The neighbourhood is currently served by six subway stations: Donlands, Greenwood, Coxwell, Woodbine, Main Street, and Victoria Park. TTC Streetcar map 1932 More information can be found here: https://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4115.shtml
Deeply embedded in the city’s railway history, Leaside was named for John Lea and his family. British-born Americans, in 1820 the Leas purchased a plot of land close the Don River that was known as Lot 13. John Lea’s son William bought the land just south of his father’s farm, and named it Leaside. The railway companies arrived in the 1870s, purchasing a few acres of William Lea’s flat land to run the track through. A station was also constructed on the land in 1884, and it was named Leaside in honour of William Lea. The subsequent settlement was planned by railway entrepreneurs William Mackenzie and Donald Mann in 1914, who planned for it to be “the new Rosedale.” Faced
Do you have an opinion about what should happen to Ontario Place? Redevelopment plans for the Ontario Place lands are in the works and you can have your say at the upcoming meeting on Tuesday March 5th at 5:30pm, City Hall, Committee Room 1. Members of the public are welcome to attend, submit communications, and register to speak to share their views. To register to speak on March 5th, please email teycc@toronto.ca. Source: Gord Perks Blog
