Friday 16 September 2022

Walking Toronto Streets - journey to the source of Gerrard

Here's another walk exploring a street in Toronto - in this case Gerrard Street, which runs from just inside Scarborough to University Avenue downtown.

I have lived within a few blocks of Gerrard ever since I moved to Toronto. It is named "...for Samuel Gerrard (1767-1857), an Anglo-Irish businessman in Lower Canada and a personal friend of the Honourable John McGill, member of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada" (from Wikipedia). Not quite as far as my first and second walks (but once again flirting with the great unknown of Scarborough 😀). This walk starts at University Avenue and goes east. Click on any picture to see a big version!  Also part of this map.

2022/10/23: Added picture/notes on 716 Gerrard Street East. 2022/1/13: added link about Kemp Manufacturing Company

The far west end of Gerrard has many hospitals nearby. Starting with Mount Sinai Hospital - where all of our boys were born!


Toronto General Hospital.

Hospital for Sick Children.


'The Livmore' condos - was a parking lot until 2016 or so. SE corner of Bay and Gerrard.

The old WCTU building on the N side of Gerrard just E of Yonge. Now Covenant House.

Not saving too much of this building on the SE corner of Gerrard and Yonge. Used to be Bassel's Restaurant. Will soon be an 85 story condo.

My old building at 40 Gerrard St E. I was in Apt 1210 - on the far left side of the building in the middle of this picture.


Looks like they haven't done the rebranding from Ryerson University to Metropolitan University yet.

Hooker Harvey's at Gerrard and Jarvis - so-named because of the people who hung out there in the evenings.

Allen Gardens - nice park and beautiful greenhouses.

Old low-rise apartments (Regent Park). Being replaced by new, higher, mixed-income housing.


Typical Gerrard St just east of downtown.

2023/1/13: Found this article on the Kemp Manufacturing Company that was located on the SE corner of Gerrard and River Street (and is now high rise apartments).
https://scenesto.com/2021/11/23/the-history-of-the-kemp-manufacturing-co-toronto/

Going across the Don River, on the east side is Bridgepoint Hospital and the old Don Jail (now part of Bridgepoint admin).

The old Don Jail at night.

Gates to the eastern Chinatown (from the west)

The start of the eastern Chinatown.

A fun mural on the side of a cheese shop.


The middle building (716 Gerrard Street East, just to the right of the pole) in the picture below is where the Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna of Russia lived for a short time in Toronto! See the 'Emigration to Canada' section in this link:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Duchess_Olga_Alexandrovna_of_Russia


Some old signage.


Site of the old Beer Store. Supposed to be a new one on the main level.

A little west of Carlaw Avenue - our local fire station.

'The Real Jerk' restaurant at Carlaw and Gerrard.

Under the tracks at Gerrard and Carlaw. It's all uphill from here.


Typical 'Gerrardish' buildings.

Maple Leaf Tavern. Very nice now, versus the dive bar of a few years ago.

The mighty Gerrard Square (a slightly 'tired-looking' average mall).

Riverdale Collegiate High School (well, a small part of it as it extends a long way to the right).

Cool mural. Just W of Greenwood.


The old Ulster Arms Tavern. Been this way for a while.

(Part of) Little India.

Just after Little India, there is a jog north (on Coxwell) and then Gerrard continues on a slightly more winding path.

Interesting little ravine runs from Gerrard up to almost Danforth just east of Coxwell. Here are some pictures from an earlier walk through it.

Ted Reeve arena (from the back). He "...was a multi-sport Canadian athlete and sports journalist".


Cool-looking boarded up building. Thought it looked fairly new - turns out it's not so old. See this link.

And right at the end of Gerrard this little strip mall (the Quarry Village - so was there a quarry here? Yep. And lots of development starting up in that area.

And this is where Gerrard Street ends - as it joins with and becomes Clonmore Drive here.

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