Clairlea

 

Location: Kingswell Crescent and Pharmacy Avenue

Date photo taken: 27 February 2017

In June 1950 the Toronto Star was full of ads for bungalows and two-storey homes in Clairlea, "the east end's newest subdivision". Located on the western edge of Scarborough and bordered by Victoria Park, Warden, Eglinton and St. Clair, the neighbourhood featured a park and a school and modern shopping district were under construction. The ads for the 6-room bungalows ran as follows: 

These solid brick bungalows have everything. Large, bright living with full dining room adjoining. Modern, gleaming tile kitchen with lots of cupboards. 3 good size bedrooms with clothes closets in each. 4-piece tile bathroom. Steel beam construction. Divided basement with recreation room facilities. All on wide lots with private drive. 

All for just $9,950.

Dovercourt Village

 

Location: Shanly Street at Salem Avenue

Date photo taken: 3 October 2013

Dovercourt Village is a small neighbourhood in the city, focused along Dovercourt Road and Hallam Street. It's part of the larger Dovercourt Park, which stretches north from Bloor to the railway tracks, between Ossington and Dufferin. Initially a suburb of the city, Dovercourt was annexed on January 2, 1888 although at this time, still relatively little had been built here. The train tracks, which were part of the Ontario & Quebec Railway line connecting Toronto and Perth, had been completed in 1884 but the city atlas from the same year shows precious little other development. By 1890 there were a few more buildings scattered about but not much had changed with the notable exception of the street names. Durham had become Shanly. Brighton Place, Hallam. Dover Court would lose its space and Lancaster would become Ossington. The turn of the century was a boom period for the city however and it didn't take long for development to come to Dovercourt. By 1910, the atlas shows almost every lot developed.

The 1985 on the sign likely refers to the establishment of the Dovercourt Village BIA.

Cabbagetown Heritage Conservation District

 

Location: Sumach at Carlton

Date photo taken: 18 September 2013

To help communities across the province highlight and protect areas within their boundaries that have unique heritage value, the Ontario Heritage Act provides municipalities with the ability to designate Heritage Conservation Districts. While changes are permitted within these spaces they must adhere to certain rules and principles to ensure that the characteristics that make these places special are not lost. Within the City of Toronto this means that anyone in an HCD who wishes to make changes to the street-facing portion of their property needs to apply for a Heritage Permit. Property owners in these areas may be eligible for restoration grants or tax relief to help compensate them for having to adhere to the standards. 

The Cabbagetown Heritage Conservation District is actually comprised of 4 separate designated areas with two more being proposed. Sumach and Carlton, where this sign was snapped, is part of the Cabbagetown North HCD which was designated in 2004. Others include Cabbagetown-Metcalfe (2002), Cabbagetown South (2005) and Cabbagetown Northwest (2007). 

Wexford Heights

Location: Lawrence and Crockford

Date photo taken: 27 February 2017

Wexford Heights stretches along Lawrence Avenue between Victoria Park and Birchmount and is part of the larger Wexford / Maryvale neighbourhood in Scarborough. The local BIA was formed in 2004 and the jewel in their crown is the Taste of Lawrence Festival. Celebrated each year in July, it is Scarborough's largest street festival and as the name implies, food plays a central role in the festivities.

I admit when I took this picture, it was as much about the butterflies attached to the post as it was about the Wexford Heights sign. These critters were made by AC Waterjet Inc., a business located just down the road. They also have some much larger creatures on display next to their showroom but that's for another post.

Bracondale Hill

Location: Hillcrest Drive and Bracondale Hill Road

Date photo taken: 8 October 2015

Bracondale Hill is a residential neighbourhood located north of Davenport, between Bathurst and Oakwood. It takes its name from the stately home built by Robert John Turner about 1847, located at Davenport and Christie. When Turner's son inherited the estate, he helped establish Bracondale Village, selling hundreds of building lots around the home and building the village's first post office. In 1909 Bracondale was annexed by the City of Toronto. The date on the sign refers to the subsequent development of another subdivision by the Turner heirs on lands to the north and west of their family home. The character of the neighbourhood was set by the inclusion of a minimum construction cost per house. This varied between $4,000 and $7,500 depending on the location, quite significant sums for the period. The house that started it all was expropriated by the City in 1930 and demolished in 1937 to make way for Hillcrest Park.

Bloordale Village

Location: Brock Ave. and Bloor St. W.
Date photo taken: 9 June 2014

Bloordale Village is a bit different than most of the neighbourhoods featured so far on NeaTO. It refers to the stretch of Bloor Street between Lansdowne and Dufferin. To the north is Wallace Emerson and to the south is Brockton Village. In between sits Bloor and, like the areas around it, it's in the midst of a transformation. The House of Lancaster Gentleman's Club, Salvation Army and variety stores now sit side by side with art galleries, vinyl stores, and microbreweries. To follow what's new in the area, check out the Bloordale Village BIA's Facebook page.

Republic of Rathnelly

Location: Rathnelly Avenue and Poplar Plains Crescent

Date photo taken: 25 September 2013

Back in 1967 Canada celebrated its centennial. The various levels of government, private corporations and organizations of all descriptions marked the occasion with special projects. Citizens too were encouraged to celebrate this milestone and projects big and small were publicized in the newspaper. One neighbourhood in Toronto decided to celebrate by seceding from Canada. On June 10, 1967 residents of Rathnelly took to the streets, erected barricades, declared themselves an independent republic within the borders of Canada and had themselves a grand party. While it was all in fun, resident Alan Thomas explained at the time that they had "planned it as a reminder that there was a slender thread of rebellion in Canada's history". The shenanigans went beyond a single day in 1967 however. In 1969, looking for funding for the erection of a playground, representatives of the Republic wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau asking for a foreign aid grant. More recently, in 2012, street signs like the one above were distributed throughout the neighbourhood. The coat of arms features neighbourhood markers including train tracks and a rough sketch showing the five blocks that make up the area, as well as the Expo symbol and six martini glasses, presumably a nod to the year and spirit of its founding.

Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District

Location: Corner of Caledonia and Raitherm Roads
Date photo taken: 10 September 2015

The Castlefield & Caledonia Design & Decor District is not something I had heard of before stumbling into it and seeing these signs. The area is centered around the intersection of Caledonia Rd. and Castlefield Ave., which is slightly north west of Dufferin and Eglinton. As the name suggests, the area is populated with a wide range of design and decor businesses from rug and tile stores to designer outlets and general home stores. Back in 2007 the City of Toronto released a plan for the district which would help provide a framework for future development in the area. The vision for the neighbourhood was "to ensure the area retains the conditions that originally drew the design and décor businesses to the district" including low rents, large open buildings and an industrial look and feel. Some recommendations in the document included the retention of key industrial structures (the Bell communications tower and the gantry structure from an asphalt plant), improving access to the Beltline park, and the creation of gateway entrances and branded signage for the whole district.

Blue Jays Way

Location: King and Blue Jays Way
Date photo taken: 12 May 2014

Back in 1993 the Toronto Blue Jays won their second World Series in a row. To honour that achievement the city renamed a street, or to be more specific, a part of a street, after the team. The Jays played in the SkyDome at the base of Peter Street. Wayne Gretzky's Restaurant, slightly further up Peter Street, petitioned the city to have the southern stretch of the street renamed. To accomplish the transition they even agreed to mount a plaque on the side of the restaurant commemorating Peter Russell, after whom the street was originally named.

On Monday April 6, the Blue Jays open their 39th season, although they won't be coming home to the Rogers Centre (how names do change!) until April 13th.

Church Wellesley Village Sign

Location: Intersection of Maitland and Church Streets
Date Photo Taken: 26 October 2012
Image #1 in the Neighbourhoods Series

Long before Toronto became the grand metropolis it is today the area was populated by small villages. These were eventually swallowed up as the city grew but branded street signs now help to identify where these villages once stood. These signs also provide Business Improvement Areas and other neighbourhood groups the opportunity to identify their particular area. Many signs employ colour or graphics to impart a bit of the flavour of the community but as these existing signs age they will be replaced by the city’s new standardized signs. The new signs are made of extruded aluminum and covered in a highly reflective blue surface. The top panel still allows for a neighbourhood designation but a customized look will no longer be an option. The small numbers at the bottom of the sign indicate the street address closest to the intersection. 

For a map of Toronto’s neighbourhoods, check out the one created by the Toronto Star.

Church Wellesley Village is Toronto’s largest LGBT community and the BIA hosts a number of street festivals and events throughout the year. The area is centered on Church Street, roughly between Gloucester St. and Wood St.