Garden District, 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.

The neighbourhood covers the area from Maple Leaf Gardens to Allan Gardens, 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, the Ryerson University campus, St. Michael’s Hospital, and Heritage Sites such as the Canon Theatre (formerly Pantages Theatre), Massey Hall, Winter Garden Theatre, McKenzie House Museum, St. Michael’s Cathedral, and the Merchandise Building.

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.

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.

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. [http://www.thestar.com/News/article/216076]

External links

* [http://www.gardendistrict.ca The Garden District Residents Association]

Toronto Neighbourhood Geography
North=Church and Wellesley
East=Regent Park
Cabbagetown and Old Cabbagetown, Toronto
South=St. Lawrence
West=Bay Street Corridor
Discovery District
Center=Garden District
width=88