YORKVILLE, TORONTO

'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]

Contents

History

Modern

Gardens

Shopping Centres

Hotels

See also

External links

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.

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, including: Prada, Gucci, MAC Cosmetics, Hugo Boss, Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Holt Renfrew, Tiffany & Co., Ermenegildo Zegna, Canali, Bulgari, Cartier SA, Harry Rosen, Escada, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Vera Wang, Lacoste, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Swarovski and many more upscale designer labels can all be found here.
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. It is currently undergoing a full restoration.

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 neighbourhood 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-coloured 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.

Shopping Centres

★ Cumberland Terrace

★ Hazelton Lanes

★ Holt Renfrew

★ Hudson Bay Centre

★ Manulife Centre

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

★ InterContinental Toronto Yorkville

See also

★ List of neighbourhoods in Toronto

★ List of upscale shopping districts

External links

★ "Yorkville, a hippie haven" - video clip from CBC Archives, first aired September 4 1967

★ Bloor Yorkville - business listing