Lawrence Heights
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Heights is a neighbourhood in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue
to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street
to the west. It is part of the greater Yorkdale-Glen Park official Toronto neighbourhood.
to the west and Highland Hill to the east. The neighbourhood is a post World War Two development of bungalows and storey and half dwellings. As the frontage of the these homes average 45 feet, the area has had significant changes as older houses are torn down and replaced by "Monster Homes" as the area's proximity to major city arteries and the downtown core make it lucrative to builders.
The other housing area which is east of Flemington Road, is short-term public housing
. Because of the area's proximity to Downsview Airport, high-rise buildings were not originally permitted to be constructed in this area, and the majority of the housing is in low- to mid-rise buildings.
The neighbourhood's nickname "The Jungle" (area bounded by Flemington Road to the east, Varna Drive to the West, Ranee Ave to the north, and Lawrence Ave to the south), was given by cab drivers and police who found the area's streets hard to navigate, and often found themselves lost. This was not a reference to the film The Asphalt Jungle
, nor to the area of Kingston, Jamaica
with the same moniker. Recently, the media has used the name to reference the high levels of crime within the maze of affordable housing projects. Demographically
the area consists largely of immigrants from the Caribbean
and East Africa
, but there are also small pockets of European
s.
outside of the then-City of Toronto. By 1955, 100 acres (40.5 ha) had been assembled by Metro. The project would have approximately 6,000 residents in 1,081 family units at a density of 12 families per acre, the largest public housing project to that date in Canada. When the project was announced, it sparked a strong opposition from the then North York Township. Citizens and elected officials threatened legal action to block the development. A compromise was worked out between Metro and North York whereby some of the units would be rented at market rates so that the project would not be exclusively very poor families.
Construction was completed by 1962. It consisted mainly of row houses and maisonettes with some small apartment buildings of less than 30 units each. A buffer of single family dwellings was built between the project and the private sub-division to the east. An elementary school was part of the project. The elementary school filled up immediately and senior elementary students were sent to a neighbouring junior high. A controversy erupted over the use of the swimming pool at a neighbouring secondary school, whereby project students could only use the pool on one or two evenings per week. A community center was built in the mid-1960s, its $100,000 cost shared by North York and Metro without any support from the Ontario or the federal housing agency Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
.
In 2007, city councillor Howard Moscoe
unveiled a plan to revitalize Lawrence Heights. The plan proposes a demolition of all 1,208 units in the neighbourhood, as well as Lawrence Square, and they would be replaced by modern affordable units, market housing and retail/commercial streets, including a northward extension of Marlee Avenue.
and Yorkdale
subway stations.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located north-west of central Toronto, in the district of North York. The neighbourhood is bounded by Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto....
to the south, Highway 401 to the north, Allen Road to the east and Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street
Dufferin Street is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions west of Yonge Street. The street starts at the foot of Lake Ontario, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary with some discontinuities and continues into York Region where it...
to the west. It is part of the greater Yorkdale-Glen Park official Toronto neighbourhood.
Character
The area is divided into two distinct subsections. The area bounded by Yorkdale Shopping Mall to the north, Lawrence Ave to the south, Dufferin StreetDufferin Street
Dufferin Street is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is a concession road, two concessions west of Yonge Street. The street starts at the foot of Lake Ontario, continues north to Toronto's northern boundary with some discontinuities and continues into York Region where it...
to the west and Highland Hill to the east. The neighbourhood is a post World War Two development of bungalows and storey and half dwellings. As the frontage of the these homes average 45 feet, the area has had significant changes as older houses are torn down and replaced by "Monster Homes" as the area's proximity to major city arteries and the downtown core make it lucrative to builders.
The other housing area which is east of Flemington Road, is short-term public housing
Public housing
Public housing is a form of housing tenure in which the property is owned by a government authority, which may be central or local. Social housing is an umbrella term referring to rental housing which may be owned and managed by the state, by non-profit organizations, or by a combination of the...
. Because of the area's proximity to Downsview Airport, high-rise buildings were not originally permitted to be constructed in this area, and the majority of the housing is in low- to mid-rise buildings.
The neighbourhood's nickname "The Jungle" (area bounded by Flemington Road to the east, Varna Drive to the West, Ranee Ave to the north, and Lawrence Ave to the south), was given by cab drivers and police who found the area's streets hard to navigate, and often found themselves lost. This was not a reference to the film The Asphalt Jungle
The Asphalt Jungle
The Asphalt Jungle is a 1950 film noir directed by John Huston. The caper film is based on the novel of the same name by W. R. Burnett and stars an ensemble cast including Sterling Hayden, Jean Hagen, Sam Jaffe, Louis Calhern, James Whitmore, and, in a minor but key role, Marilyn Monroe, an unknown...
, nor to the area of Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica
Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...
with the same moniker. Recently, the media has used the name to reference the high levels of crime within the maze of affordable housing projects. Demographically
Demographics
Demographics are the most recent statistical characteristics of a population. These types of data are used widely in sociology , public policy, and marketing. Commonly examined demographics include gender, race, age, disabilities, mobility, home ownership, employment status, and even location...
the area consists largely of immigrants from the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
and East Africa
East Africa
East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easterly region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. In the UN scheme of geographic regions, 19 territories constitute Eastern Africa:...
, but there are also small pockets of European
European ethnic groups
The ethnic groups in Europe are the various ethnic groups that reside in the nations of Europe. European ethnology is the field of anthropology focusing on Europe....
s.
Public Housing Development
Lawrence Heights was the first large public housing project built by Metropolitan TorontoMetropolitan Toronto
The Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto was a senior level of municipal government in the Toronto, Ontario, Canada area from 1954 to 1998. It was created out of York County and was a precursor to the later concept of a regional municipality, being formed of smaller municipalities but having more...
outside of the then-City of Toronto. By 1955, 100 acres (40.5 ha) had been assembled by Metro. The project would have approximately 6,000 residents in 1,081 family units at a density of 12 families per acre, the largest public housing project to that date in Canada. When the project was announced, it sparked a strong opposition from the then North York Township. Citizens and elected officials threatened legal action to block the development. A compromise was worked out between Metro and North York whereby some of the units would be rented at market rates so that the project would not be exclusively very poor families.
Construction was completed by 1962. It consisted mainly of row houses and maisonettes with some small apartment buildings of less than 30 units each. A buffer of single family dwellings was built between the project and the private sub-division to the east. An elementary school was part of the project. The elementary school filled up immediately and senior elementary students were sent to a neighbouring junior high. A controversy erupted over the use of the swimming pool at a neighbouring secondary school, whereby project students could only use the pool on one or two evenings per week. A community center was built in the mid-1960s, its $100,000 cost shared by North York and Metro without any support from the Ontario or the federal housing agency Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation
Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is a Crown corporation, owned by the Government of Canada, founded after World War II to provide housing for returning soldiers...
.
In 2007, city councillor Howard Moscoe
Howard Moscoe
Howard Moscoe was a city councillor in Toronto, Canada, representing Ward 15 in the western part of Eglinton-Lawrence. Among the most prominent and longest-serving councillors in the city, he is also known for an outspokenness which has landed him in controversy at times. Moscoe is a member of...
unveiled a plan to revitalize Lawrence Heights. The plan proposes a demolition of all 1,208 units in the neighbourhood, as well as Lawrence Square, and they would be replaced by modern affordable units, market housing and retail/commercial streets, including a northward extension of Marlee Avenue.
Notable locations
- Lawrence Heights Community Centre
- Lawrence Heights Community Health Centre
- Bathurst Heights Secondary SchoolBathurst Heights Secondary SchoolBathurst Heights Secondary School was a public high school located in the North York district of Toronto, and serving the area of Lawrence Avenue West and Allen Road . Bathurst Heights closed its doors on June 23rd 2001...
— once home to one of Toronto's elite basketball teams, the school was closed by the Toronto District School Board, and was temporarily the home of Brebeuf CollegeBrebeuf College SchoolBrebeuf College School is a Roman Catholic all-boys' high school in Toronto founded by the Jesuits in 1963 and associated with the Presentation Brothers since 1984...
as Brebeuf underwent a school restoration construction - Sir Sandford Fleming Academy
- Lawrence Square Shopping CentreLawrence Square Shopping CentreThe Lawrence Square Shopping Centre in Toronto, Canada, is one of the city's twenty largest malls. It is located on Lawrence Avenue West, west of Allen Road, in the neighbourhood of Lawrence Heights, which is in Yorkdale-Glen Park, and is readily accessible from the Toronto Transit Commission's...
- Canadian Imperial Bank of CommerceCanadian Imperial Bank of CommerceThe Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is one of Canada's chartered banks, fifth largest by deposits. The bank is headquartered at Commerce Court in Toronto, Ontario. CIBC's Institution Number is 010, and its SWIFT code is CIBCCATT....
Head Office Operations — 750 Lawrence Avenue West - Yorkdale Shopping CentreYorkdale Shopping CentreYorkdale Shopping Centre is a large shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It contains over 250 stores and is located in the community of Downsview, in North York. It is the fifth largest shopping mall in Canada and also enjoys the highest sales per square foot of any mall in Canada, with...
— located just north of the community
Transportation
The neighbourhood is accessible by bus lines on Dufferin and Lawrence. The nearest subway connection are the Lawrence WestLawrence West (TTC)
Lawrence West is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on William R. Allen Road at 655 Lawrence Avenue West. It opened in 1978 in what was then the Borough of North York...
and Yorkdale
Yorkdale (TTC)
Yorkdale is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on William R. Allen Road just south of Highway 401. It opened in 1978 in what was then the Borough of North York, and was named for the nearby Yorkdale Shopping Centre, to...
subway stations.