De Grassi Street
De Grassi Street is a side street located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named after Captain Filippo "Philip" De Grassi, an Italian-born soldier who immigrated to Canada with his family in 1831 and settled in York, Upper Canada. He later became a member of the Family Compact.
De Grassi Street is located in south Riverdale, and has a residential character. A number of the homes date back to the 1880s and were built in the distinctive tall, narrow bay-and-gable style. It runs one-way northbound from Queen Street East to Gerrard Street, approximately halfway between Broadview and Carlaw Avenues.
It is best known in popular culture as the namesake of the teen drama television franchise Degrassi, with the first three series shot in and around the street.
Neighbourhoods
- Queen-Broadview Village – at Queen Street
- Riverside
- East Chinatown – at Gerrard Street
Attractions
- Jimmie Simpson Park – named after former Toronto mayor James Simpson
- Bruce Mackey Park – named after a Toronto District School Board educator whose house was used in The Kids of Degrassi Street.
- First Nations Public School
- Eastdale Collegiate Institute
- Site of Riverdale Station, which was demolished in 1972.
In fiction
- Vincent Massey Public School – 68 Daisy Avenue, Mimico – Degrassi Junior High, seen on CBC Television in Canada and on PBS in the United States.
- Centennial College – 951 Carlaw Ave – Degrassi High, seen on CBC Television in Canada and on PBS in the United States.
- The following Degrassi series, Degrassi: The Next Generation, which was largely shot on a studio backlot, was seen on CTV, CTV Two, and MuchMusic in Canada, and on Noggin during "The N" block, TeenNick and MTV in the United States.
- The most recent series Degrassi: Next Class, is shot in the same location as The Next Generation, and is seen on Family in Canada, and Netflix in the United States.