Yorkville, Toronto's original bohemian neighbourhood in the 1960's is now home to designer boutiques, high end hotels, restaurants to see and be seen and a seemingly never-ending parade of Mazzeratis and Ferraris. International fashion fiends will find all the major labels here including Prada, Gucci, Boss, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and more.
THE HISTORY OF YORKVILLE
Founded in 1830 by entrepreneur Joseph Bloore (after whom Bloor Street is named) and William Botsford Jarvis of Rosedale, Yorkville began as a residential suburb. Bloore operated a brewery north-east of today's Bloor and Church Street intersection. The two purchased land in the Yorkville area, subdividing it into smaller lots on new side streets for those interested in living in the cleaner air outside of York.
The political centre of Yorkville was the Red Lion Hotel, an inn that was regularly used as the polling place for elections. It is here that William Lyon Mackenzie was voted back into the Legislature for 1832, and a huge procession took him down Yonge Street.
The community grew enough to be connected in 1849 by an omnibus service to Toronto. By 1853, the population of Yorkville had reached 1,000, the figure needed to incorporate as a village, and the "Village of Yorkville" was incorporated. Development increased and by the 1870s, "Potter's Field", a cemetery stretching east of Yonge Street along the north side of Concession Road (today's Bloor Street) was closed, and the remains moved to the Necropolis and Mount Pleasant cemetery.
By the 1880s, the cost of delivering services to the large population of Yorkville was beyond the Village's ability. It petitioned the Toronto government to be annexed. Annexation came on February 1, 1883, and Yorkville's name changed officially from the "Village of Yorkville" to "St. Paul's Ward", and the former "Yorkville Town Hall" became "St. Paul's Hall".
The character of the suburb did not change and its Victorian-style homes, residential streets, and gardens survived into the 20th century. In 1923, Toronto Hebrew Maternity and Convalescent Hospital was opened at 100 Yorkville Avenue, and a year later the name was changed to Mount Sinai Hospital. The façade of this building still stands today and housed retailer Chanel.
In the 1960s, Yorkville flourished as Toronto's bohemian cultural centre. It was the breeding ground for some of Canada's most noted musical talents, including Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Gordon Lightfoot, as well as then-underground literary figures such as Margaret Atwood, Gwendolyn MacEwen and Dennis Lee. Yorkville was also known as the Canadian center 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. Those influenced by their time in 1960s-70s Yorkville include cyberpunk writer William Gibson. Its domination by hippies and young people led MPP Syl Apps to refer to it as "a festering sore in the middle of the city" and call for its "eradication."
Transition into high-end shopping district
After the construction of the Bloor-Danforth subway, the value of land nearby increased as higher densities were allowed by the City's official plan. Along Bloor Street, office towers, The Bay department store and the Holt Renfrew department store displaced the local retail. As real estate values increased, the residential homes north of Bloor along Yorkville were converted into high-end retail, including art galleries, fashion boutiques and antique stores, and bars, cafes and eateries along Cumberland Street and Yorkville Avenue. Many smaller buildings were demolished and office and hotels built in the 1970s, with high-priced condominium developments being built in subsequent decades.
Yorkville Today
In a word, Yorkville is posh and extremely charming. The homes are classy and expensive, the shops are ritzy and the restaurants serve fine, artistic foods. Having a Yorkville address is a status symbol among Torontonians who, for the most part, will only ever dream of living on the neighbourhood's quiet, tree-lined streets. For residents, it's just far enough from downtown that you feel separated from the congestion, yet close enough that drivers can commute to work in just a few minutes. The neighbourhood is connected to two subway lines and several buses, and for families, there are several schools close by, including three private schools. This is one of Toronto's most expensive neighbourhoods.
Yorkville is generally acclaimed as Canada’s pre-eminent shopping district. Its many specialty stores, fashion boutiques, jewelry stores, antique shops, and art galleries are a destination point for tourists, as well as Torontonians from all over the city. Yorkville’s shops and restaurants are located in pretty Victorian houses on Yorkville Avenue, Hazelton Avenue, Cumberland Street and Scollard Street. The Yorkville Village shopping centre located at 55 Avenue Road features over 100 exclusive shops and restaurants.
Yorkville Real Estate
Yorkville's prestige makes it one of Toronto's most expensive neighbourhoods for renters. Yorkville’s gentrified Victorian houses were built mainly between 1870 and 1895. These historical homes exhibit many decorative features including ornamental brick patterns, gingerbread gables, cast iron fences, and richly landscaped gardens. Many of Yorkville’s houses are listed on the Toronto Historical Board’s Inventory of Heritage Properties. Yorkville is Toronto’s most cosmopolitan neighbourhood. It has wide appeal with domestic homebuyers from within the Greater Toronto Area, as well as across Canada and internationally. Yorkville enjoys the cache of a being situated in prime midtown, and the convenience of also being within easy reach of the hustle and bustle of downtown Toronto.
Looking for the best of Yorkville?
Parks
Schools
Please click here for a comprehensive list of schools in Yorkville..
Restaurants
Alobar: Simply decorated bistro serving creative, scratch-made food fusing European and Asian influences.
Chabrol: Classic French cuisine and wines served in an upscale, petite venue with floor-to-ceiling windows.
Café Boulud: Daniel Boulud's retooled French brasserie boasts a vintage feel & dishes like rotisserie chicken.
Cafés
.Goldstruck Coffee: Industrial-chic café featuring organic coffee, house-baked pastries, sandwiches and smoothies.
Coco Espresso Bar: Urban nook with Italian flair providing hand-roasted coffee and light fare, plus pastries & gelati.
5 Elements Espresso Bar: Local art decks the walls of this chic hangout, serving choice coffee drinks, pastries and sandwiches.