Riverdale, Toronto
Riverdale is a large neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded by the Don River Valley to the west, Danforth Avenue and Greektown to the north, Jones Avenue, the CN/GO tracks, Leslieville to the east, and Lake Shore Boulevard to the south.
History
In 1875, the House of Refuge opened at the corner of Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East. The hospital took on its current name Bridgepoint Active Healthcare in 2002, and later expanded to include the former Don Jail in the Bridgepoint Redevelopment project. The hospital is now called Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital and is part of Sinai Health.The 1884 annexation of the area then called Riverside Don Mount and Leslieville an area from the Don valley on the west to Greenwood on the east, and from Danforth on the north to Queen Street on the south.
Riverdale is located just east of Toronto's downtown core. Since its amendment to the City of Toronto in 1884, it has developed a stature as a neighbourhood of independent arts, with several independent galleries located along Queen Street East. The residential landscape within Riverdale is made up primarily of Victorian and Edwardian style homes, constructed in the 1800s as boarding rooms for the working-class.
Communities within Riverdale
"Riverdale" can refer to a smaller area or a larger area around it as well. The smaller, core area ofRiverdale refers to the stretch of Toronto east of the Don Valley Parkway and west of Jones, between Danforth Avenue and Gerrard Street. This area is occasionally referred to as "North Riverdale" or prime Riverdale. "Riverdale" sometimes is used to refer to a much wider area that includes "South Riverdale" and less frequently areas east of Jones. This area includes many smaller communities, usually centred around a 'high street' or commercial area.
Upper Riverdale and Lower Riverdale
Some Riverdale residents differentiate between "upper" and "lower" Riverdale. "Upper Riverdale" is characterized as the part of the neighbourhood north of Riverdale Ave., and "Lower Riverdale" is the area south of Riverdale Ave. In terms of the quality of the housing supply, homes built in "upper Riverdale" are more likely to be renovated, but "Lower Riverdale" contains more original and classic designs of the late 19th century. There are a number of remarkable century-old homes built on Simpson and Langley Avenues, the latter street named after Toronto's well-known early 20th century architect, and the former featuring the oldest Victorian houses in Riverdale. Of note, Simpson Avenue is home to the original six houses of Riverdale; located at the west end of the street and locally known as the 'Six Sisters.'South Riverdale
"South Riverdale", as its name suggests, is the southern half of the Riverdale neighbourhood, south of Lower Riverdale. Its approximate boundaries are: the Don Valley Parkway to the west, Jones Ave. to the east, Gerrard Street East to the north, and Lake Shore Boulevard to the south.South Riverdale comprises many smaller neighbourhoods:
Riverside
"Riverside", also known as the "Queen Broadview Village" is a neighbourhood located within the larger neighbourhood of South Riverdale. The Riverside Business Improvement Area places the definite boundaries as running along the Don River and bordering the streets of Gerrard Street East, Empire Avenue, and Eastern Avenue.Riverside is a mixed income and multicultural neighbourhood currently experiencing a trend of "gentrification" along Queen St. East and Broadview Ave. It had been home to the Don Destructor, a Toronto garbage incinerator which was demolished in 2004. Don Mount Court, a social housing project was recently redeveloped as a mixed social housing and market value community. The market value portion is being sold under the name Rivertowne.
Riverside is known for its many historic buildings and rich cultural heritage. The biggest landmark in the neighbourhood is the Broadview Hotel, a red sandstone commercial block in Romanesque style constructed in 1891–3, that was the tallest structure in South Riverdale for many decades. Other major landmarks include the Ralph Thornton Community Centre, Broadview Lofts, and The Opera House. Riverside was also the location of Sunlight Park, Toronto's first baseball stadium.
The area has a large young population, evident in the cluster of schools just east of Broadview Avenue. Dundas Junior Public School is the resident school for children in kindergarten through to fifth grade, after which they are transferred to Queen Alexandra Sr. Public School which sees students through to eighth grade. It is also home to the First Nations School of Toronto, a cultural survival school that places heavy emphasis on aboriginal values and culture, and SEED Alternative Secondary School, Canada's first public alternative school.
Riverside is rapidly emerging as a district of independent design, furniture, and food retailers, as well as restaurants.
The southern industrial area was occupied by Lever Brothers Soap Factory from 1890s until 2009. The factory demolished is now waiting for redevelopment as commercial and industrial use by Cadillac Fairview.
East Chinatown
Toronto's second largest Chinatown, also known as East Chinatown is found at Broadview & Gerrard. At the northernmost corner of East Chinatown is the Riverdale branch of the Toronto Public Library. This branch is bilingual in Chinese and English. North of the library is the monument to Sun Yat-sen. Construction on the Toronto Chinese Archway began in the western end of East Chinatown on November 24, 2008, and it opened to the public on September 12, 2009. There are only two streets with bilingual signs, Broadview Avenue and Gerrard Street East, and signs located three of the four corners of the intersection.Studio District
The southern part of South Riverdale, just north of the Port Lands, is what's called the "Studio District". Industrial warehouses along Lakeshore Avenue house production studios, and many people working in film and television live in the old Victorians found along the area's side streets. Carlaw and Queen has become an arts hub, with many artists choosing to run their studios from the various work-live lofts.Blake-Jones
"Blake-Jones" is a section of tree-lined streets with residences built from the 1870s to 1930s. The neighbourhood extends along Jones Avenue commencing at the cemetery south of Strathcona and extending down to Hunter. It is bordered by Danforth Avenue to the north, Pape Avenue to the west, Greenwood Avenue to the east and the CN Railway tracks just south of Riverdale/Boultbee Avenue to the south. Houses along Blake Street are more affordable in this neighbourhood than in many areas of the city because most of the homes are semi-detached. There are also a significant number of residents within public housing, residing in apartment and townhouse complex of Blake/Boultbee, owned by Toronto Community Housing. With a 33.3% unemployment rate in youth aged 15–19, the Blake-Jones corridor of Riverdale has seen an increase in crime in recent years.There are two local elementary schools zoned to the area; Blake Street and Pape Avenue. The high school that is zoned to the area is Riverdale Collegiate Institute.
The neighbourhood is served by the Pape, Donlands, and Greenwood subway stations and the 72 Pape and 83 Jones bus routes and is also home to the Greenwood Subway Yard, a landmark within the area.
The Pocket
Located within Blake-Jones is an area residents refer to as "The Pocket". Over time there have been some differences on the exact definition of the area, but currently the Pocket is understood to be "accessible only from the west along Jones Avenue". This would indicate that the area would be bordered by Chatham Street at the north, and on the southern end by Boultbee Ave. The Eastern side is bordered by the TTC Greenwood yard. As of January 2013 the Pocket Community Association declared they served an area that is "bounded on the west by Jones Ave, on the east by Greenwood Avenue, on the north by Danforth Ave, and on the south by the railroad tracks abutting Boultbee Avenue in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The community is served by the Pocket Community Association.File:TTC Greenwood Yard 2024.jpg|thumb|Located in the southeastern portion of Blake-Jones, Greenwood Yard is a rail yard with support buildings that service subway vehicles of the Toronto subway system.
The name "The Pocket" was created by area residents during a planning session attended by Susan McMurray, also an editor of a newsletter for the area. The name has stuck in part because of the "village feel" of the community, and has become well used by residents and realtors in the area. The Pocket has been experiencing a gentrification similar of that to the most of Riverdale and other neighbourhoods within Toronto. For The Pocket, this started in the 1990s. The neighbourhood is listed as one of the ten hottest areas in Toronto Life and is described as "coveted" by the Globe and Mail indicating that buyers will pay a premium to live in the community. The Pocket has an above average number of people from the Muslim and Greek Orthodox communities living in the area.
The area has benefitted from a strong group of volunteers who have done much to make the area safer and prettier. Such projects as cleaning up and renaming Ben Kerr Lane, an annual street party on Dawson Avenue, street sales, organized pot lucks, not to mention a great number of improvements to Phin Park. Phin Park has had a number of mature trees planted along its central lighted walkway, an outdoor ice rink created every winter, the placement of large boulders removed during street work, and the building of a gazebo next to the playground for parents to cool off while their children play. Throughout the year there are events at the park organized and paid for by the community including monthly movie nights and an excellent fireworks show on Victoria Day. Another beautification project included building a small orchard and community garden area north of the Greenwood TTC yard.