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The Berkeley Street Theatre

Canadian Opera Company

The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre for Young People

The Toronto Sun Mural

Little Trinity Church & Parish House

Enoch Turner School House

The Distillery Historic District

First Parliament Buildings Site

Crombie Park

The Daniel Brooke Building

The Bank of Upper Canada

Toronto’s First Post OfficeMuseum

St. Paul’s Basilica

Dominion Square

Bus, Streetcar Route

Municipal Parking

One-way Street

Greenspace

Architectural/HistoricalInterest

Outdoor Art,Statues &Structures

OLD TOWN TORONTO EAST

Come and explore Toronto’s historic heart.

Queen Street East

King Street East

Eastern Avenue

Power Street

Bright Street St. Lawrence Street

Sumach Street

Sackville Street

Sackville St

Bayview Avenue

Don River

Derby St Erin St

Cypress Street

Jarvis Street

Richmond Street East

Adelaide Street East

King Street East

George Street

Sherbourne Street

Berkeley Street

Front Street East

The Esplanade

Scadding Ave

Longboat Avenue

Mill StreetGeorge St South

Trinity Street Cherry Street

Overend St

Hahn Pl

Parliament Street

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OLD TOWN TORONTO EAST

The Daniel Brooke Building (KingStreet East & Jarvis Street) Built in1833 for merchant Daniel Brooke,significantly rebuilt in 1848-49 andone of the few buildings that survivedthe great fire of 1849. It is animportant and rare example ofGeorgian Architecture in Toronto andone of the last remaining buildingsfrom the original Town of York.

The Bank of Upper Canada (256Adelaide Street East) Built in1825–27, it is one of the oldestremaining bank buildings in Toronto.The bank was the Province’s leadingfinancial institution from the time ofits incorporation in 1822 until itsclosing in 1866. The striking porticowas added by Toronto architect JohnG. Howard in 1844. Designated aNational Historic site in 1977, it wasrestored in 1980 by its currentowners, the Godfrey family, for use ascommercial office space.

Toronto’s First Post Office Museum(260 Adelaide Street East) In 1833Postmaster James Scott Howard builtthis 3-storey Georgian-style “live-work” building to house both the postoffice and his family. It is the oldestbuilding built as a post office inCanada. It is also owned by theGodfrey family who began itsrestoration in 1980, and now leases itfor a dollar a year to the Town of YorkHistorical Society. It is a working postoffice and museum with philatelicservices, a gift shop and postalmemorabilia available seven days aweek. www.townofyork.com

St. Paul’s Basilica (83 Power Street)Dating from 1822, St. Paul’s was theTown of York’s first Roman Catholicparish. The site was then on the

outskirts of town and the only RomanCatholic parish between Kingston andWindsor. Today’s Italian Renaissance-Style church is the realization of an1889 expansion. On August 26, 1999Pope John Paul II named the churchToronto’s first and only Minor Basilica.

Dominion Square (468 Queen StreetEast) The Davies family began abrewery here in 1879 and establishedthe Dominion Hotel on the east end ofthe property at Sumach. Renovated in1987, the site boasts stores, condosand office space. The adjacentrenovated hotel is a popular localwatering hole.

Little Trinity Church & Parish House(between Parliament & Trinity on King)The Parish of Trinity East, Toronto’ssecond Anglican parish, was foundedin 1842 to serve the newly arrived,poor, Irish immigrants. The parishhouse was designed in 1853 by noted19th century Toronto architectsCumberland and Storm.

Enoch Turner School House (TrinityStreet, just south of King) Opened in1848 as Toronto’s first free or non-denominational school under thepatronage of local business andcommunity leader Enoch Turner. Itfeatures an authentic recreation ofthe original school house andpresents lectures, walking tours, andconcerts throughout the year.www.enochturnerschoolhouse.ca

The Distillery Historic District (50 MillStreet) Originally the grounds of theGooderham and Worts Distillery in1832, today it features theatres, art,photography, cafés and restaurants ina restored 19th century industrial site(see What to Do).www.thedistillerydistrict.com

First Parliament Buildings Site,Parliament Square The block boundedby Parliament Street on the east andBerkeley Street on the west andrunning south from Front Street toParliament Square Park, contains thesite of Upper Canada’s (today’sOntario) original parliament buildings,built in 1793. Parliament Squarefeatures a treed walkway leading toThe Distillery District and an OntarioHeritage Trust plaque. In 2005 theProvince of Ontario acquired thenortheast corner of the site which willeventually be redeveloped tocommemorate the birth place ofOntario’s democracy.

Crombie Park Running along TheEsplanade from Berkeley Street westto Jarvis Street through the tree-linedheart of St. Lawrence Neighbourhood.The City of Toronto park is named forformer Toronto Mayor David Crombiewho was instrumental in initiating theredevelopment of the neighbourhoodin the 1970s from industrialwasteland to today’s successful mixedincome community. Countlesstelevision productions andcommercials have been filmed in the park.

The Berkeley Street Theatre (26Berkeley Street) Known to intimatesas the “The Gas Works” after itshistory of once being a ConsumersGas pumping station. It was convertedinto a theatre in 1971, first as thehome of the Toronto Free Theatre andsubsequently as the home of thesuccessor company CanStage. Thetheatre has two performance spacespresenting Canadian and internationaltheatre. www.canstage.com

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Come and explore Toronto’s historic heart.

Why you should goOld Town Toronto (east) is the historic heartof Toronto, and like the city that grew upfrom the Town of York’s original 10 blocks,the area is defined by diverseneighbourhoods containing everything theurban visitor could want: Historic QueenStreet East, a revitalized strip of uniqueshops, leads into the heart of the 19thcentury urban village atmosphere ofCorktown; the Distillery District withtheatres, galleries and restaurants in arestored, industrial, heritage site datingfrom 1832; the St. LawrenceNeighbourhood offers a pleasantpromenade through a model of urbanredevelopment; and King Street East is thehome to the city’s largest collection of finehome furnishing shops. Old Town Toronto(east) boasts the largest collection ofheritage buildings in Ontario, making itideal for walking tours and city exploring.Well known as a haven for diners and pubaficionados, a visitor can find anythingfrom a tasty and inexpensive lunch, a

relaxed afternoon pint or fine dining insome of the city’s best restaurants. In OldTown the choice is yours.

What to doOld Town Toronto (east) is a perfect settingfor the urban explorer: whether it is strollingthe historic main streets of the city and tak-ing note of intriguing historic sites; orsomething more contemporary like seekingout that perfect home décor item; or sip-ping a cold craft brewed pint on a secludedpatio; each part of the neighbourhood offersunique delights and surprises. Beginning atthe corner of King and George Streets youare crossing into the original 10 blocks laidout by Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe in1793 to form the Town of York. The townstretched east to Berkeley Street south toFront Street and north to today’s AdelaideStreet. The area features a mix of historicbuildings, modern condos and commercialbuildings, with cafés, specialty shops, pubsand bistros at street level. King Street from

Jarvis to Parliament has one of the city’spremier collections of home furnishing anddesign shops—a delight for anyone search-ing for decorating ideas and new, innovativepieces. Drop by Toronto’s First Post Officemuseum on Adelaide Street and walk backin time before there was air mail, e-mailand instant communication.www.kingstreeteaststyle.com

Historic Queen East (Jarvis to Parliament).In 1800, Lot Street (now Queen) was thenorthern limit of the town. Today this revi-talizing strip features Victorian commercialbuildings and unique shops. You can stopinto a gallery, browse for antique books orgrab an inexpensive bite to eat.

Corktown is a 19th century urban village inthe heart of the city and King and QueenStreets (East of Parliament) are its twomain streets. It was originally settled byworking class immigrants in the early1800’s, many of whom came from theCounty of Cork in Ireland.

How to get thereBy TTC: There are many TTC routes serving Old TownToronto.

From Downtown: King or Queen Subway station takethe eastbound streetcar past Jarvis.

By Car: From the Don Valley Parkway exit at RichmondStreet. From the Gardiner Expressway exit north atJarvis. From the Lakeshore Boulevard East exit onCherry, Parliament, Sherbourne or Jarvis. There is a“Green P” parking lot at Sherbourne and Richmondand one at The Esplanade and Jarvis; two large privatelots at the Distillery District (entrances off Parliamentjust north of Lakeshore Boulevard); throughout theneighbourhoud Pay and Display street parking isavailable.

Canadian Opera Company, Joey and Toby Tanenbaum OperaCentre (227 Front Street East)The COC is housed in two 19thcentury industrial buildings.The eastern building was theConsumers Gas Company’sPurifying House No. 2 built in1887-1888 and designed bythe architects Strictland andSymens after the fashion of anearly Christian basilica. Thewesterly building was originallyStandard Woollen Mills built in1882 and designed by famousToronto architect E.J. Lennoxwho also designed Casa Lomaand Old City Hall. www.coc.ca

The Lorraine Kimsa Theatre forYoung People (165 Front StreetEast) Originally a late 19thcentury stable for the horsesthat pulled the Toronto StreetRailway Company Streetcars.When electrification arrived in

1891, the stables went with thetimes and the building becamea generating plant until 1906.It was then used as a warehouseby the TTC. In 1977, it wasredesigned to be the home ofthe Young People’s Theatre,now the Lorraine Kimsa Theatrefor Young People (LKTYP). Theyare Toronto’s premier companyproducing professional theatrefor children. www.lktyp.ca

The Toronto Sun Mural (betweenPrincess & Berkeley Streets)History as Theatre, by Torontoartist John Hood, depictsToronto’s story on a “canvas”the height of a 3-storey buildingand the length of a city block. Itwas commissioned by theToronto Sun newspaper in 1993to celebrate the 200thanniversary of the City’sfounding.

Points of interestOLD TOWN TORONTO EAST Come and explore Toronto’s historic heart.

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They found work in developing industriessuch as the local breweries and distilleries.Their Irish heritage was reflected in whatcame to be the area’s nickname. TodayCorktown is dotted with row houses and ren-ovated commercial buildings housing spe-cialty shops, cozy bistros and cafés. But it isCorktown’s laneways and small residentialstreets that many visitors enjoy the most:Bright Street’s fine example of workershousing from the 1800s or the Victoriantownhouses on Wascana Avenue. Look forevocative street names like Virgin Place andGilead Place. Trinity Street features fine her-itage houses and Enoch TurnerSchoolhouse: revisit schooldays 1850sstyle. www.corktown.ca

South from Corktown is the Distillery Districtan ongoing and ambitious renovation of oneof the largest remnants of Victorian industri-al heritage buildings in North America.Stroll among the restored 19th centurywarehouses and tankhouses, along the cob-blestone laneways of the original Gooderham& Worts Distillery complex, dating from1832. Discover fine restaurants, artists’ stu-dios, a brewery, theatre and dance compa-nies, art and craft galleries and the YoungCentre for the Performing Arts, home ofToronto’s Soulpepper Theatre Company.Open year ’round, the site really comesalive with numerous festivals and outdoorevents on spring and summer weekends. www.thedistillerydistrict.com

West from the Distillery District, acrossParliament Square (Point of Interest #9), isBerkeley Street where heritage buildingshouse new uses: the renovated BerkeleyCastle office complex, the Berkeley StreetTheatre and the headquarters of theCanadian Opera Company are all located in19th century industrial buildings adaptedfor today. Continuing along The Esplanadebetween Berkeley and Jarvis Street, onestrolls through the heart of the original St.Lawrence Neighbourhood, developed by theCity of Toronto in the 1970s. Today it ishome to well over 10,000 people in one ofNorth America’s most successful and moststudied mixed income neighbourhoods.Crombie Park (Point of Interest #10) pro-vides one of the City’s most pleasant urbanwalks, marked by gardens, fountains and anatural arcade of trees.

A short history In 1793, John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada (today’s Ontario),moved the capital of the fledgling colonyfrom Niagara, on the American border, toToronto because it was considered to be at asafer distance in case of invasion; and itboasted a good harbour, along with accessto rivers, the highways of the day. Simcoeoversaw the construction of Fort York to pro-tect the harbour on the west and a town siteto the east. Simcoe choose the name York tohonour Frederick Augustus, Duke of York,the second son of King George III. The sizeof the new capital was a modest 10 blocks,though the town grew quickly. During theWar of 1812, York was invaded by theAmerican forces in 1813 and theParliament Buildings (at Front St. andParliament St.) were burned to the ground.

The city grew rapidly after the war and in1821 York got its first financial institution,The Bank of Upper Canada: the originalbuilding remains in use today as renovatedoffice space at the corner George andAdelaide. In 1832 one of Toronto’s firstmajor industrial sites, the Gooderham &Worts complex, began operation initially as a

grist mill, then in 1837 as a distillery. Todayit is becoming a major arts and shoppingdestination (Point of Interest #8).

In the 1850s after rail service began, theeastern neighbourhoods of Old Townindustrialized. The site of the originalParliament Buildings became a majorplant for Consumer’s Gas in the late1800s. The company also built a plant at51 Parliament Street which has been ren-ovated to house the city’s newest policestation. The city’s commercial centre ofgravity moved west in the latter half of the19th century. King Street East, once thecity’s premier High Street began to fade inimportance, a circumstance that would notchange until the late 20th century whennew development and renovations of his-toric buildings revitalized the area.

In the 1990s, much of Old Town Toronto(east) was slated for revitalization andunder a new planning regime, the adaptivereuse of heritage buildings and construc-tion of compatible new buildings wasencouraged. The population grew rapidlyin the old Town Of York area, with newcondos, shops and amenities bringing thestreets vibrantly alive.

For more information, go to: www.oldtowntoronto1793.com or www.sederi.ca or www.corktown.ca

OLD TOWN TORONTO EAST Come and explore Toronto’s historic heart.

A little trivia

• The Distillery District (Point of Interest#8) is the number one filming locationin Canada. Over 800 movies have beenfilmed there in the past 10 years,perhaps most notably Chicago whichwon the Oscar for Best Picture in 2003.

• In 1919, T.P. Loblaw and Justin Corkopened the doors to their first grocerystore on King Street East in the OldTown neighbourhood of Corktown. Fromthis humble beginning Loblaws grew tobecome one of Canada’s major groceryretailers.

• After Ontario’s First ParliamentBuildings (Point of Interest #9) wereburned down in 1813 by invadingAmericans during the Battle of York, theBritish forces retaliated by burningdown the U.S. President’s residence in

Washington. When the residence wasrepaired and rebuilt it was paintedwhite to cover the evidence of firedamage, and then became known asthe White House.

• Toronto’s first cab company, “TheCity”, was founded by Lucie &Thornton Blackburn in 1837. TheBlackburns were escaped slaves fromKentucky who arrived in Toronto in1834; where they were defended bythe government from two extraditionattempts. Once safe and settled,Thornton discovered there was ashortage of public transportation inToronto. To meet this need he built ared and yellow horse-drawn cab, mod-eled after vehicles he’d seen inMontréal, and launched the service to great success.