Garden District, Toronto

Garden District
neighbourhood
Allan Gardens at the centre of Toronto's Garden District
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto

The Garden District is a neighbourhood in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The name was selected by the Toronto East Downtown Residents Association (TEDRA) in recognition of Allan Gardens, an indoor botanical garden located nearby at the intersection of Carlton and Jarvis Streets. The Garden District was officially designated by the Mayor and Toronto City Council in 2001, while TEDRA has since been renamed the Garden District Residents Association. Part of the neighbourhood is within official City of Toronto neighbourhood of Moss Park.

As defined by the Association, the neighbourhood is bordered by Carlton Street to the north, Yonge Street to the west, Sherbourne Street to the east and Queen Street to the south. This area includes the southern part of Toronto’s Gay Village and heritage sites such as the Mackenzie House Museum and the Merchandise Building.

Character

This neighbourhood consists of two distinct areas:

The western portion, from Yonge Street to Jarvis Street, was first subdivided at the time Toronto was incorporated as a city in 1834 from the McGill Estate (the owner John McGill died that year).^[1] This area quickly filled with overflow from central Toronto and includes a number of early, mostly non-government (especially religious) institutions such as the Metropolitan Methodist Church (Metropolitan United Church after church union in the 1920s), St Michael's Roman Catholic Cathedral, the Roman Catholic Bishop's Palace, St. Michael's Choir School and St Michael's Hospital, places of entertainment such as Massey Hall, the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres, the Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages Theatre) and Maple Leaf Gardens as well as the Ryerson Model School (now a part of Ryerson University)

Aerial Photograph, 1942

The eastern portion from Jarvis Street to Parliament was largely subdivided later in the 1850s from the Jarvis Estate (Hazelburn)^[2] and the Allan Estate (Moss Park)^[3][4] with north-south streets based on the street grid of the original Town of York. This area is largely residential with two parks (Moss Park and Allan Gardens) and a large number of local churches. It was originally a very exclusive district, and declined in time as the housing stock aged and smaller lots for workers were built. The portion to the east between Sherbourne and Parliament Streets had already been partially subdivided with a small number of streets based on the Cabbagetown grid creating Wilton Crescent (now part of Dundas Street), becoming identified with the Cabbagetown neighbourhood. Although the inspiration for the name Garden District comes from Allan Gardens, this neighbourhood is also called Moss Park.

The Garden District includes a mix of housing, from million-dollar condos, renovated Victorian villas, and Edwardian row houses to apartment co-operatives, subsidized housing units, and many hostels and shelters.

Walnut Hall

On May 18, 2007, local uproar arose over the demolition of a historical building at the corner of Shuter and George Streets, known as Walnut Hall. Constructed in 1856 and designated as a heritage site in 1997, the building was nonetheless neglected and began to collapse.^[5]

Demographics

There is a substantial Francophone presence because of the area’s French-language institutions such as the Collège Français and Paroisse Sacré Cœur, a Roman Catholic parish.

A separate neighbourhood association, the McGill-Granby Village Resident's Association, represents the residents of the area around those two streets.

Transportation

The area is well served by public transit, with the 505 Dundas, 506 Carlton east-west streetcar routes. The 75 Sherbourne bus runs north-south along Sherbourne. The Yonge-University-Spadina subway Line 1 runs north-south along Yonge Street to the west.

References

1. The Estates of Old Toronto, Liz Lundell, 1997. ISBN 1-55046-219-9, Pg 51
2. The Estates of Old Toronto, Liz Lundell, 1997. ISBN 1-55046-219-9, Pg 54
3. The Estates of Old Toronto, Liz Lundell, 1997. ISBN 1-55046-219-9, Pg 56
4. Hayes, Derek (2008). "Historical Atlas of Toronto", Douglas & McIntyre Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. ISBN 978-1-55365-290-8 Pg 65
5. http://www.thestar.com/News/article/216076

External links

• The Garden District Residents Association
• City of Toronto - Moss Park demographic profile
• Historic sketches and photos of the Garden District
• McGill Granby-Village Residents’ Association

Coordinates: 43°39′31″N 79°22′33″W / 43.6585°N 79.3758°W