Rosedale is one of Toronto's wealthiest neighbourhood with some of the city's biggest mansions housing a who's who of the city's movers and shakers, movie stars and other local celebrities. Surrounded by beautiful ravines and parkland, Rosedale boasts clean, quiet, tree-lined streets from Yonge snaking east to Bayview and south to Bloor. The stretch of Yonge from Crescent Road to Summerhill is filled with pubs, restaurants and cafes.
The History of Rosedale
South Rosedale was first settled by Sheriff William Jarvis and his wife, Mary, in 1826 after Jarvis inherited his father's home there two years earlier. Mary Jarvis, the granddaughter of chief justice and loyalist William Drummer Powell frequently walked and rode on horseback around the trails for that formed Rosedale's meandering streets (which are one of the area's trademarks). She named the estate "Rosedale" as a tribute to the abundance of wild roses that graced the hillsides of their estate. The Jarvis estate was subdivided in 1854 and became Toronto's first "garden suburb". The Jarvis Family sold the Rosedale homestead in 1864, which led to the residential development of the area soon after, including the extension of Cluny Drive.
A noteworthy piece of Rosedale's History, is that it was home to Ontario's fourth Government House. The house was called Chorley Park, and it was built for the Lieutenant Governor in 1915. Standing only from 1915 to 1959, all that remains of the building is its bridge and depressions in the soil of where it once stood. To save money, the City of Toronto demolished Chorley Park and created a public park under its name.
One of Canada's foremost fiction writers both pre- and post-World War II, Morley Callaghan lived in the southern part of Rosedale at 20 Dale Avenue from 1951 until his death in 1990; a historic plaque at the nearby Glen Road footbridge summarizes Callaghan's noteworthy writing career and his best-known literary contemporaries, including Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
The north Rosedale was home to St. Andrews College and the Rosedale Golf Club.
In 1926, however, the college moved to a larger campus in Aurora, "away from the perceived negative influences of the city," according to their website. After the golf course area was bought to become North Rosedale, it too was relocated, up north by Lawrence Park.
Standing on a former part of St. Andrew’s College grounds is Rosedale Park. Formally known as Rosedale Field and owned by the Rosedale Golf Club, it was used as a stadium that could accommodate more than 10,000 spectators.
You may have even heard of their past team — the Toronto Argonauts. After the area was redeveloped, the City of Toronto acquired it to become the park it is today, filled with tennis courts, a skating rink and baseball diamond.
After these changes, Rosedale turned even more residential when Victorian, Georgian and Edwardian style mansions began popping up, inciting wealthy families to move into the already affluent area. Presently, the Toronto Historical Board lists many of these buildings as Heritage Properties.
Finding new uses for historic sites is a trend in Rosedale, and you can’t talk about the neighborhood without mentioning the North Toronto railway station, otherwise known as one of the best LCBOs in the city.
The historic building and clock tower on the northwest edge of Rosedale was built in 1916 as a Canadian Pacific Railway station, but was closed in 1931 following the opening of Union Station downtown.
In the following years, it had brief uses to welcome the British monarchy and escort soldiers post-Second World War, but it remained largely unused until its restoration when the inside was transformed into an LCBO.
Rosedale Today
While Rosedale shares many similarities with other Toronto areas, convenient transit, an abundance of boutique fitness clubs and local businesses, there is one thing that really sets it apart.
Because it was built along ravines and surrounded by so much green space, traffic and vehicle noise in Rosedale is very minimal. For an area that is quite close to the hustle and bustle of the city, its serenity is truly unmatched.
The area is filled with biking, running and walking trails, many of which have been there for centuries.
Milkman’s Lane, a trail that joins the neighbourhood to the Don Valley trail network, has been around for more than 130 years. It only spans about 300 metres but connects to kilometres worth of hiking paths.
Rosedale Real Estate
There are few urban neighborhoods more picturesque than Toronto’s Rosedale. Along with historic mansions, meandering streets shaded by magnificent trees, good schools and huge parks, the area has everything the city has to offer right on its doorstep.
Rosedale is known for its beautiful period houses. It has many historic redbrick mansions, which date from the Victorian and Edwardian eras and the 1920s and 1930s.
There are many detached three-story properties, with gabled fronts and elegant wide porches and large formal reception rooms. Most sit on large plots of land and have front and back gardens as well as driveways.
The district is mostly made up of single-family homes, a mix of detached and semi-detached properties. There are few condo buildings on Dale Street, which were built circa 1949.
Large detached houses typically have four or five bedrooms, and an attic room and basement, which are often converted into family rooms or gyms.
Looking for the best of Rosedale?
Parks
Schools
Please click here for a comprehensive list of schools in Rosedale..
Restaurants
El Tenedor: Organic restaurant serving eclectic mix of Spanish/French cuisines with Canadian terroir.
Quanto Basta: Rustic-chic bistro offering upscale Italian entrees & an extensive wine list in a warm atmosphere.
Avant Gout: Moroccan-influenced French bistro dishes in a cozy space with exposed-brick walls and wood paneling.
Cafés
Rooster Coffee House: Espresso drinks & baked goods offered in an industrial space with huge windows & a seating loft.
Café Boulud: Daniel Boulud's retooled French brasserie boasts a vintage feel & dishes like rotisserie chicken.
Nadège Patisserie: Sleek pastry boutique preparing French-accented confections, from croissants & cakes to macarons.