Time to take another leap into Toronto’s rich history and dive deep into the past, all the way back to the very beginning. There are segments of Toronto where development has been abandoned or considered complete, and there are some places that have been constantly changing since the founding of the Town of York, and one of those ever-changing pockets of the city is the St. Lawrence neighbourhood.
The Town of York was founded in 1793, but at this time, the area where St. Lawrence is now was still below the waterline. Eventually, anything above the waterline became purely industrial. It wasn’t until the early 1800s that the area began to transform into an ideal locale for merchants; in fact, the Saturday farmer’s market, which still exists today, began its weekly tradition in 1803. At this time, the location was also home to the city’s first city hall, which stood at King and Jarvis Streets. By 1840, the area was completely overrun by government and merchant wharves, and it became clear that the area was in need of expansion, mostly to facilitate transportation for carriages, carts, incoming and outgoing ships, and the railway.
The area is bound by Yonge Street to the west, Front (and The Esplanade) to the south, and Parliament Street to the east. Everyone has an opinion about what the northern boundary is. More than a hundred years later, by the 1960s, there was barely any industrial activity left, so the fabric of the area consisted of many bare sites and abandoned buildings. In the early 1970s, the City of Toronto decided that St. Lawrence would become a residential neighbourhood. The community was planned and designed by Alan Littlewood. The housing consisted mostly of row houses and low-rise apartments. The master-planned community was undeniably a success, some even say that it is a perfect community and should be used as a model by other city/community planners.
It’s understandable. It truly has everything that you would need or desire. The farmer’s market is open six days a week in the south building of the St. Lawrence Market, and every Saturday, the north building features locally grown, organic produce. On Sundays, the north market houses an extravagant antique fair, which has become quite the attraction for locals and out-of-towners. The Esplanade and Front Street are lined with bars, clubs, coffee shops, and restaurants, and there’s even an intimate cinema on the main strip. It is the perfect mix of small town and big city living.
The continuing evolution of the area is evident in the large number of condominiums under construction in the area. There is the L Tower by Castlepoint, Fernbrook, and Cityzen, rising at Yonge and Front, and these same developers are also responsible for Backstage, another high-rise condo going up at Yonge and The Esplanade. Another development is The Berczy, a condo under construction at 61 Front St., which is being presented by Concert Properties. Luckily, the neighbourhood’s atmosphere is not being tampered with too much; even though the L Tower and Backstage are high rises, they are rising on the edge of the area, and The Berczy is only going to be 13 storeys tall; the design of its base respects, even pays tribute, to the pleasant architectural styling we see on Front Street today.
The St. Lawrence neighbourhood is a haven in Toronto, a place where everyone feels welcome, and everyone can feel at home. The area is going through a surge of development, so now is the time to get your foot in the door. There are so many new living opportunities in the neighbourhood, and it would be a shame to miss out on them. Check out some new property in the St. Lawrence area today!
