The area roughly bordered by Yonge Street to the west, the Don River to the east, Queen Street East to the north and the city’s railway lines to the south
Old Town is an important historical and cultural area that dates back to Toronto’s beginnings in the early 19th century, when horse-drawn carriages were the popular mode of transportation and Front Street was on the city’s shoreline. Home to one of Ontario’s largest concentrations of Victorian architecture, Old Town is a community of distinct neighbourhoods where local arts, culture and heritage are celebrated by visitors and residents alike.
The Details
The Old Town neighbourhood is home to St. Lawrence Market, Corktown, the Distillery District, nifty boutiques, theatres, galleries, restaurants and the establishing street grid for the town of York (the town that evolved into Toronto). An ideal destination for history and architecture buffs, Old Town possesses the city’s first town halls, churches, garrisons, factories and our country’s landmark distillery.
Not long after the birth of the city in 1793, German settlers were brought into Toronto to build roads in exchange for free farmland. These streets served as the foundation for the city’s rapid development and expansion beyond its initial borders (Jarvis St. west to Berkeley St., Front St. E. north to Richmond St. E.). William Moll Berczy, also of German descent, was one of Canada's first portrait painters and a highly trained engineer. In 1803 he designed the first bridge over the Don River and Toronto’s first church, St. James Cathedral. This church, which stands at King and Church streets, was first built out of wood and soon proved to be too small for the city’s growing population and was enlarged in 1818.
Corktown, a neighbourhood to the east of the original Town of York site, was named after the early settlers who emigrated from County Cork, Ireland in the 1800’s and made this area their home. Within its boundaries are many historic buildings such as St. Paul’s Basilica, Little Trinity Church and the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. Enoch Turner, a local brewer and citizen concerned about the welfare of lower and middle class children, established Toronto's first free school in 1848. The schoolhouse, located on Trinity Street, remains as a unique architectural and historical treasure and one of the oldest, continuously operating buildings in Toronto.
Today Old Town delights its visitors with outstanding historic buildings that have served many purposes over their extended lifetimes, graceful parks, gardens and unique places to satisfy the body, mind and soul.