Yorkville, Toronto

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Bloor Street

Yorkville is an affluent neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is roughly bounded by Bloor Street to the south, Marlborough Ave to the north, Yonge Street to the east and Avenue Road to the west.[1]

1 History
2 Modern
3 Gardens
4 Shopping Centres
5 Hotels
6 See also
7 External links

[edit] History

Founded by entrepreneur Joseph Bloor (after whom Bloor Street, one of Toronto's main thoroughfares, is named) in 1830, the Village of Yorkville began as a residential suburb characterized by Victorian-style homes, quiet residential streets, and picturesque gardens. It was later annexed by the City of Toronto.

In the 1960s, Yorkville flourished as Toronto's bohemian cultural centre, and was considered by some to be the breeding grounds for some of Canada's most noted musical talents, including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot.

At that time, Yorkville was also known as the Canadian capital of the hippie movement. In 1968, nearby Rochdale College at the University of Toronto was opened on Bloor Street as an experiment in counterculture education.

[edit] Modern

In the 1980s and the '90s, steady gentrification of Yorkville resulted in its current distinctive mix of high-end retail, including many art galleries, fashion boutiques and antique stores, and popular bars, cafes and eateries along Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue.

Today, some of the city's most exclusive retail stores line its streets: Prada, Gucci, MAC, Hugo Boss, Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Holt Renfrew, Harry Rosen, Lacoste and many more upscale designer labels can all be found here.

Rents on the upscale Bloor Street West between Yonge Street and Avenue Road have doubled in the last 4 years, ranking as the 22nd most expensive retail location in the world in 2006, up two spots from 2005. Nationally, Vancouver's upscale Robson Street tied with Bloor Street West as the most expensive street in Canada, with an annual average rental price of $208 per square foot. Only four years ago, rents on Bloor Street were almost half that price at $110 per square foot. 1

In recent years, mid-market retailers have also begun to locate along the strip. In 2005 Winners and La Senza opened stores in prime locations on the strip.

Yorkville is known for upscale shopping, restaurants, and the first five star hotel in Canada. Due to this, it has historically been an excellent place for celebspotting, especially in the Hazelton Lanes shopping complex. Since this became known, the celebrities once seen during the Toronto International Film Festival have gone elsewhere with them most often seen in the entertainment district bars and after-hour clubs near the CITY-TV building.

Famed restaurant Sassafraz, which was situated in the heart of Yorkville, burned down on December 13, 2006.

[edit] Gardens

Yorkville Park is a series of unique gardens located on the south side of Cumberland stretching west from Bellair. It was designed by Oleson Worland Architects to celebrate the surrounding neighborhood and reflect the diversity of the Canadian landscape.

At one end, a paved square of land is dotted with Scot's pines growing out of circular benches. Further west, is a set of metal archways among a row of crabapple trees. Next, there's a marshy wetland. A silver-colored metal structure houses a waterfall bordering one side of a courtyard filled with benches and chairs, while a 650-tonne hunk of billion-year-old granite, cut out of the Canadian Shield and transported to the park in pieces, forms the other border.

The park has received the American Survey of Landscape Architects Award.

[edit] Shopping Centres

[edit] Hotels

Four Seasons Hotel Toronto
Park Hyatt Toronto
The Residence on Bay
The Windsor Arms Hotel Toronto
Marriott Toronto Bloor Yorkville
The Hazelton Hotel & Residences (opening June 2007)
InterContinental Toronto Yorkville

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Yorkville Guide - community listing with reviews, pictures, and interactive map.
Bloor Yorkville - business listing

v • d • e Former municipalities of Toronto
Municipalities amalgamated in...
1998	East York · Etobicoke · North York · Scarborough · Toronto · York · Metropolitan Toronto
1967	Forest Hill · Leaside · Long Branch · Mimico · New Toronto · Swansea · Weston
1883– 1912	1912: Dovercourt · Earlscourt 1910: Moore Park · North Toronto 1909: Bracondale · Midway · West Toronto · Wychwood 1908: Deer Park · East Toronto 1905: Rosedale 1890: Bedford Park · Davisville · Eglinton 1889: Parkdale 1888: Seaton Village 1884: Brockton · Riverdale 1883: Yorkville