Lawrence Park, Toronto
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Park is one of Toronto
, Canada
's most affluent residential neighbourhood
s, along with Rosedale
, the Bridle Path
, and Forest Hill
. It is also one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada.
It is bordered originally by Yonge Street
to the west and Bayview Avenue
to the east, and from Blythwood Ravine on the south to Lawrence Avenue on the north. Lawrence Park was one of Toronto's first planned garden suburbs. Began in the early part of the 20th century, it did not fully develop until after the Second World War.
Centred on Mount Pleasant Road, the neighbourhood grew slowly with medium-sized houses on narrow but deep lots. There are few commercial businesses, within a five minute walk. The closest grocery stores are close to Yonge and Lawrence. Toronto Transit Commission
streetcars ran on Mount Pleasant and Yonge Street until they were replaced by the Yonge subway and buses in the 1970s.
Demographically, the neighbourhood still retains a large Anglo-Protestant population.
The president of the Dovercourt Land Company was Wilfred Servington Dinnick. It was under Dinnick’s direction that Lawrence Park was developed as a suburb for the “well to do”.
The first advertisement for Lawrence Park trumpeted it as an “aristocratic neighbourhood”, “four hundred feet above Lake Ontario, and Far from the Lake Winds in Winter”. However, Lawrence Park’s development was sporadic. The building of houses was interrupted by two world wars, a recession and a depression. It wasn’t until the 1950s that this neighbourhood was completed.
The neighborhood is located in a very peaceful and tranquil setting that includes gently rolling hills, several parks, a ravine, winding roads, many that don’t have sidewalks and a lush topography. It maintains the charm and affluence of its founding principles and has the reputation as the most family friendly of the city's super affluent neighbourhoods.
Lawrence Park’s shops, schools and recreational facilities are located on its periphery, which keeps traffic on the residential streets to a minimum. Many of the residents belong to the prestigious Granite Club, a sports and recreation centre on Bayview Avenue north of Lawrence Avenue.
The high profile shops and restaurants in the Yonge and Lawrence area, are well patronized by Lawrence Park residents. This shopping district includes fashion stores, children’s stores, sporting goods stores, gift shops, bakeries, gourmet dining, casual restaurants plus the ever popular coffee shops.
Notable institutions located in Lawrence Park are Crescent School, Toronto French School
, the Rosedale Golf Club
, and The Granite Club
.
In the first part of 2011, the average resale house price in the neighborhood was $2,421,036, higher than any Toronto neighborhood other than the Bridle Path
.
The Lawrence Park Ratepayers Association has been active for several decades. Its mandate is to promote all matters regarding the welfare of Lawrence Park and its preservation as a residential park. The LPRA serves the residents of the old City of Toronto bounded by Lawrence Avenue East, Yonge Street, Blythwood Road and St. Ives. Its annual newsletter and website provide information about activities and issues in the neighbourhood.
Currently, for the purposes of social policy analysis & research, the city of Toronto’s Social Development & Administration division divides Lawrence Park into two geographies: the western side of the neighborhood falls under Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills
, while the eastern section belongs to an area labeled Lawrence Park South, which extends well beyond neighborhood limits and includes parts of Lytton Park. The geography labeled Lawrence Park North does not include any section of the neighborhood and encompasses Bedford Park
, Wanless Park
, and Teddington Park.
, located at the intersection of Yonge and Lawrence, is part of the Yonge-University-Spadina line.
Both Bayview and Yonge Street connect to Highway 401 within a five to ten minute drive from Lawrence Park.
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...
, 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...
's most affluent residential neighbourhood
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
s, along with Rosedale
Rosedale, Toronto
Rosedale is an affluent neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which was formerly the estate of William Botsford Jarvis, and so named by his wife, granddaughter of William Dummer Powell, for the wild roses that grew there in abundance....
, the Bridle Path
Bridle Path, Toronto
The Bridle Path upscale residential neighbourhood in the former city of North York, now part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is characterized by large multi-million dollar mansions and two to four acre lot sizes. It is often referred to as "Millionaires' Row"...
, and Forest Hill
Forest Hill, Toronto
Forest Hill is an affluent neighbourhood in central Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Along with Lawrence Park, Rosedale, and The Bridle Path, it is one of Toronto’s wealthiest neighbourhoods.-History:...
. It is also one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in Canada.
It is bordered originally by Yonge Street
Yonge Street
Yonge Street is a major arterial route connecting the shores of Lake Ontario in Toronto to Lake Simcoe, a gateway to the Upper Great Lakes. It was formerly listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the longest street in the world at , and the construction of Yonge Street is designated an "Event of...
to the west and Bayview Avenue
Bayview Avenue
Bayview Avenue is a major north-south route in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario. North of Toronto, in York Region, Bayview is also designated as York Regional Road 34.-History:...
to the east, and from Blythwood Ravine on the south to Lawrence Avenue on the north. Lawrence Park was one of Toronto's first planned garden suburbs. Began in the early part of the 20th century, it did not fully develop until after the Second World War.
Centred on Mount Pleasant Road, the neighbourhood grew slowly with medium-sized houses on narrow but deep lots. There are few commercial businesses, within a five minute walk. The closest grocery stores are close to Yonge and Lawrence. Toronto Transit Commission
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
streetcars ran on Mount Pleasant and Yonge Street until they were replaced by the Yonge subway and buses in the 1970s.
Demographically, the neighbourhood still retains a large Anglo-Protestant population.
History
The assembly of Lawrence Park began in 1907 by the Dovercourt Land Building and Saving Company. They acquired the north parcel of the park from John Lawrence, after whom this neighbourhood is named.The president of the Dovercourt Land Company was Wilfred Servington Dinnick. It was under Dinnick’s direction that Lawrence Park was developed as a suburb for the “well to do”.
The first advertisement for Lawrence Park trumpeted it as an “aristocratic neighbourhood”, “four hundred feet above Lake Ontario, and Far from the Lake Winds in Winter”. However, Lawrence Park’s development was sporadic. The building of houses was interrupted by two world wars, a recession and a depression. It wasn’t until the 1950s that this neighbourhood was completed.
Community
Lawrence Park is one of Toronto’s most exclusive residential neighborhoods. In 2010, Canadian Business magazine named it the wealthiest postal code in Canada by household net worth, averaged at $3.88 million. The Blythwood cluster of the neighborhood, along Bayview Avenue, has an average household income of $622,238, while the West side centered around Mount Pleasant Road has an average household income of $469,448.The neighborhood is located in a very peaceful and tranquil setting that includes gently rolling hills, several parks, a ravine, winding roads, many that don’t have sidewalks and a lush topography. It maintains the charm and affluence of its founding principles and has the reputation as the most family friendly of the city's super affluent neighbourhoods.
Lawrence Park’s shops, schools and recreational facilities are located on its periphery, which keeps traffic on the residential streets to a minimum. Many of the residents belong to the prestigious Granite Club, a sports and recreation centre on Bayview Avenue north of Lawrence Avenue.
The high profile shops and restaurants in the Yonge and Lawrence area, are well patronized by Lawrence Park residents. This shopping district includes fashion stores, children’s stores, sporting goods stores, gift shops, bakeries, gourmet dining, casual restaurants plus the ever popular coffee shops.
Notable institutions located in Lawrence Park are Crescent School, Toronto French School
Toronto French School
The Toronto French School , founded in 1962 , is an independent, bilingual, co-educational, non-denominational school in midtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, is the royal patron of the school....
, the Rosedale Golf Club
Rosedale Golf Club
Rosedale Golf Club is a private golf club in Toronto. Founded in 1893, it was originally located in Rosedale, Toronto at the site of the current Rosedale Field...
, and The Granite Club
The Granite Club
The Granite Club is an invitation-only athletic country club in Toronto. Founded in 1836, it is one of Canada's most prestigious private athletic clubs....
.
Homes
Lawrence Park’s whimsical houses include a variety of architectural styles including English Cottage, Tudor Revival, Georgian and Colonial style designs. Most of these homes were built between 1910 and the late 1940s. For the last few years parts of Lawrence Park have been redeveloped with some differing opinions, some call new homes magnificent homes that complement old and new, some call them simply monster homes that mar the old style common to the neighborhood.In the first part of 2011, the average resale house price in the neighborhood was $2,421,036, higher than any Toronto neighborhood other than the Bridle Path
Bridle Path, Toronto
The Bridle Path upscale residential neighbourhood in the former city of North York, now part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that is characterized by large multi-million dollar mansions and two to four acre lot sizes. It is often referred to as "Millionaires' Row"...
.
The Lawrence Park Ratepayers Association has been active for several decades. Its mandate is to promote all matters regarding the welfare of Lawrence Park and its preservation as a residential park. The LPRA serves the residents of the old City of Toronto bounded by Lawrence Avenue East, Yonge Street, Blythwood Road and St. Ives. Its annual newsletter and website provide information about activities and issues in the neighbourhood.
Surrounding areas
Lawrence Park is directly adjacent to another affluent Toronto neighbourhood called Lytton Park. These two neighbourhoods are often confused with each other. Lawrence Park's western-most boundary is Yonge street. Lytton Park continues westward towards Bathurst Street.Currently, for the purposes of social policy analysis & research, the city of Toronto’s Social Development & Administration division divides Lawrence Park into two geographies: the western side of the neighborhood falls under Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills
Bridle Path-Sunnybrook-York Mills
Bridle Path–Sunnybrook–York Mills is a municipal and census district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and is the name officially designated by Toronto City Hall. Traditionally, Torontonians regard this area as five distinct neighbourhoods formerly in North York before it was amalgamated into Toronto...
, while the eastern section belongs to an area labeled Lawrence Park South, which extends well beyond neighborhood limits and includes parts of Lytton Park. The geography labeled Lawrence Park North does not include any section of the neighborhood and encompasses Bedford Park
Bedford Park, Toronto
Bedford Park began as a farming hamlet north of Toronto. The hamlet was a popular stopover for farmers making their way to market in the city. The neighbourhood was likely named after the Bedford Park Hotel, which opened in 1873 at the southwest corner of Yonge Street and Fairlawn Avenue, just...
, Wanless Park
Wanless Park
Wanless Park is a neighbourhood and park in North Toronto. It is located just north of Lawrence Avenue, between Bayview Avenue and Yonge Street.Central to the Wanless Park neighbourhood is a public park called Wanless Park...
, and Teddington Park.
Schools
- Lawrence Park Collegiate InstituteLawrence Park Collegiate InstituteLawrence Park Collegiate Institute is a high school in the Lawrence Park neighbourhood of Toronto. It is a non-semestered school and focuses mainly on academics, drama, music, and visual arts, featuring strong French extended and immersion streams....
- Blythwood Jr. 2 Strathgowan Crescent (416) 393-9105 (public)
- Sunny View Jr. & Sr. 450 Blythwood Road (416) 393-9275 (public)
- Bedford Park Public School 81 Ranleigh Avenue (416) 393-9424 (public)
- North Toronto Collegiate Institute 70 Roehampton Ave. (416) 393-9180 (public HS)
- Northern Secondary School 851 Mt. Pleasant Road (416) 393-0270 (public HS)
- The Toronto French School 296 Lawrence Avenue E (416) 484-6522 (private)
- Crescent School 2365 Bayview Ave. (416) 449-2556 (private)
- Crestwood School 411 Lawrence Ave. E (416) 444-5858 (private)
- Crestwood College 411 Lawrence Ave. E (416) 391-1441 (private HS)
- Loretto Abbey 101 Mason Blvd. (416) 393-5510 (Catholic separate HS for girls)
- Blessed Sacrament 24 Bedford Park Ave. (416) 393-5226 (separate)
- York UniversityYork UniversityYork University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....
's GlendonGlendon CollegeGlendon College is one of the two campuses of York University, Canada's third-largest university, in Toronto, Ontario. A bilingual liberal arts college with 84 full-time faculty members and a student population of about 2400, Glendon is located in midtown Toronto's Lawrence Park neighbourhood...
campus. 2275 Bayview Ave. (416) 487-6710 (University) - SOLA - School Of Liberal Arts (private)
Transportation
Most Lawrence Park residents are within walking distance of bus routes that run along Yonge Street, Mount Pleasant Road, Bayview Avenue and Lawrence Avenue. The Lawrence subway stationLawrence (TTC)
Lawrence is a station on the Yonge–University–Spadina line of the subway system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 3101 Yonge Street at Lawrence Avenue....
, located at the intersection of Yonge and Lawrence, is part of the Yonge-University-Spadina line.
Both Bayview and Yonge Street connect to Highway 401 within a five to ten minute drive from Lawrence Park.