St Lawrence Market Neighbourhood, 2017. Illustration by Daniel Rotszain
File information | File dimensions | File size | Options |
Original JPG File | 6760 × 4247 pixels (28.71 MP) 57.2 cm × 36 cm @ 300 PPI |
25.4 MB | Restricted |
Low resolution print | 2000 × 1257 pixels (2.51 MP) 16.9 cm × 10.6 cm @ 300 PPI |
2.8 MB | Restricted |
Screen | 1273 × 800 pixels (1.02 MP) 10.8 cm × 6.8 cm @ 300 PPI |
512 KB | Restricted |
Resource ID
629
Access
Open
Credit Line
Heritage Toronto
Date of Creation
2017
Keywords
O'Keefe Centre, St Lawrence Hall, St James Cathedral, Flat Iron Building
Program Category
Education and Engagement
Caption
St Lawrence Market Neighbourhood, 2017. Illustration by Daniel Rotszain
Description
Toronto’s first planned neighbourhood, St. Lawrence has been at the centre of the city's urban fabric for three centuries. Its location, north of the 19th-century shoreline of Lake Ontario, made it especially viable for trade, a fact that's reflected in the prominence of the St. Lawrence Market to the area.
Before the 18th century, the region was home to Wendat and Haudenosaunee (specifically Seneca) peoples. Anishinaabe people (specifically Ojibway) moved into the area at the end of the 1600s.
In 1787, the British Crown purchased 1,000 square kilometres of land from the Mississaugas for £1,700 and 149 barrels of goods. Known as the Toronto Purchase, the controversial transaction secured a large tract of land, including the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, for the settlement of British Loyalists who emigrated from the United States after the American Revolution.
Building on the 1793 Plan for the first ten blocks of the Town of York, Receiver and Auditor General of Upper Canada Peter Russell planned a westward extension for the Town of York, which included allotments for a church, market, jail, and courthouse.
In 1834, York was incorporated as Toronto, Upper Canada's largest city. The Great Fire of 1849, which began at King and Jarvis Streets, destroyed many of the area's original buildings. However, the St. Lawrence neighbourhood rebuilt itself and has continued to adapt to serve as an economic and cultural hub for Toronto.
Marker lat / long: 43.648864, -79.371593 (WGS84)