Boundaries
The area is bounded by Yonge to the west, Front to the north, Parliament to the east, and the CN railway to the south.
History
This neighbourhood is rich with history. It was once home to the oldest non-military European settlements in Canada. On the southwestern corner of Front and Parliament stood the Parliament buildings of Upper Canada, which were built in 1793. Today, that historical building no longer exists however in 2000, an underground digging job revealed some fragments of the old parliament buildings foundation. Although the City and the Province owns most of the property they did not try to historically preserve the building.
The neighbourhood is most famous for its farmers’ market which was initiated by local farmers in 1803.
St. Lawrence Hall is another heritage landmark in the neighborhood. The first city hall was built on the southwestern corner of Jarvis and King in 1834. The hall was a part of the Old Market building. However, in 1834 the Town of York was transformed into the City of Toronto. Old city hall stood until 1949 when it was completely destroyed by a great fire. After that incident the old city hall was replaced by the current St. Lawrence Market and the Old market was re- established and is now known as the North Market.
Neighbourhood Characteristics
This neighbourhood has some wonderful areas, one of these areas is the Esplanade which is just off of Young Street. This strip has some incredible cafés, restaurants, hotels, and condo buildings. In old days this area was know as St Lawrence ward and is just steps away from the St Lawrence Market. The market is a wonderful place to go shopping on Saturday mornings where you can find everything from fine meats, to caviar and farm fresh vegetables.
The Flatiron building is another landmark building in the neighbourhood known for its discrete, slim, wedge look. This building is located at the juncture of Front and Wellington Street. It was constructed on 1892 and was distinctly known for its exceptional architectural plan.
