KENSINGTON MARKET Old World Charm, New World Vitality
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KENSINGTON MARKET Old World charm, New World vitality N College Street 7 6 4 Lipp incott Bathurs Oxford St St Spadi na na t Street t Avenue Nassau St Leonard Ave Ave Leonard Bel Aug levue levue ust a Ave a W Ave 1 E Baldwin St 8 Spadi Denison Sq na na K 9 2 5 Avenue Leonard Pl ensi St. Andrew St ngton Ave Ave ngton St Wales Ave le De ly Glen Baillie Pl nis Car o n A n Casim Hick v ory St St ory i r St r 3 AlexAlexandrandra Parark Dundas Street S .com gd Legend_ n: www.ns g Bus, Streetcar Route Architectural/ 1 Sculpture: “To Market, 5 Bellevue Square Park 8 The Kiever Synagogue Historical To Market” . Desi d Greenspace Interest 6 No. 8 Hose Station 9 Anshei Minsk Synagogue her Sculpture: “Home Again, p 2 St. Stephen-in-the-Fields he 7 S Hospital Home Again” Outdoor Art, Anglican Church Statues & Municipal Parking 3 Sculpture: “Jiggity Jig” : Diana Structures g Sculpture: “Piggity Big” One-way Street 4 Writin KENSINGTON_0106 KENSINGTON MARKET Old World charm, New World vitality How to get there Points of interest By TTC: Take the 506 streetcar west from Queen’s Globe with flying goods. Called station. In 1911, it became the Park subway station to Spadina Ave., or the 510 1 “To Market, To Market”, this is first firehall in Toronto to receive streetcar south from the Spadina subway station to one of the four aluminum and a motorized fire engine. Toronto College St. steel sculptures created by David demolished most of its old fire By Car: The roads are better suited to pedestrians Hlynsky and Shirley Yanover that houses in the 1960s, but the than cars: they’re a maze of narrow one-way streets mark the main entries to the community launched a success- and you’ll find yourself going in circles—very slowly— Market (the others are Points 2 ful lobby to save No. 8. Ironi- unless you plan your route in advance. If you decide through 4). The orbiting images cally, the building was gutted by to drive, your best bets for parking are the “Green P” represent what we need to fire in 1972. Once again, the multi-level parking garage on St. Andrew/Baldwin, the survive on this planet—all of community stepped in to ensure lot on Bellevue, or the lot on Dundas at Spadina. which can be found in their beloved firehall would be Kensington Market. rebuilt to look almost exactly like the original. 2 Cat on a kitchen chair. Generations of cats have been 7 St. Stephen-in-the-Fields born in Kensington—you see Anglican Church. A fine example them everywhere. In “Home of Gothic Revival architecture, Again, Home Again”, the cat and this church once had one of the the kitchen chair evoke the largest congregations in Toronto. comforts of home. The original church was designed by Thomas Fuller (who 3 Cat on a globe. The globe in also designed Canada’s first “Jiggity Jig” symbolizes the fact parliament buildings). Built in that people come to Kensington 1858, it was gutted by fire only from all over the world: immi- seven years later; most of the grants see where they’ve come design features were preserved from, and where they are now. during the restoration process. The church was named for its Why you should go 4 Globe on a kitchen chair. In Kensington Market offers a fascinating living-history “Piggity Big”, the globe once original rural setting. tour of the immigrant populations who built Toronto. again represents the immigrant 8 The Kiever Synagogue. The closest we have to an Old World marketplace, population, and the chair is Completed in 1927, this you’ll find an Arabian spice store nestled next to a symbolic of home. The final building has the capacity to hold Jewish grocery next to a Caribbean fruit stand beside message: “I’m an immigrant, up to 400 people. Although most a Chilean produce store. The broad range of food and I’m at home here.” of the congregation moved away stores sell an unbelievable variety of meats, fish, from Kensington in the 1950s, 5 Bellevue Square Park. In the poultry, dairy products, and fresh produce. Local the Kiever maintains its social, wisdom says that you can buy more varieties of fruits early 1800s, this area was used as a parade ground for a religious, and historical and vegetables in Kensington than anywhere else in significance to this day. the world; even if this statement isn’t 100% true, it volunteer cavalry troop. Today, a still gives you an idea of the diversity you’ll find statue of actor Al Waxman—who 9 Anshei Minsk Synagogue. Built there. But Kensington is much more than a food was born and raised in the between 1922 and 1930, this is market; you’ll also find discount and surplus stores, neighbourhood—stands in the the only synagogue in downtown clothing stores selling cheap or used clothing, some park. Waxman starred in a Toronto still offering daily prayer of the best vintage clothing stores in Toronto, and popular Canadian sitcom called services. Although unequivocally quirky record and gadget shops. And let’s not forget “King of Kensington” from orthodox, Anshei Minsk the restaurants and cafés offering delicacies from 1975 to 1980. welcomes all Jews to worship there. every corner of the world. 6 No. 8 Hose Station. Built in 1878, No. 8 is still an active fire KENSINGTON_0106 RKET Old World charm, New World vitality KENSINGTON MA Colourful houses. As you walk down cover the streets of the area. Peddlers What to do Augusta towards Dundas, you’ll start to began to bolt their pushcarts in front of Bargain hunting, food shopping, and notice some very colourful Victorian their houses; then extensions at the front eating are the major reasons to visit houses. The tradition of painting the of the houses replaced the pushcarts; then Kensington. Although the higgledy- housefronts in bright, warm colours dates the makeshift shops pushed backwards piggledy nature of the streets makes it a back to the 1950s, when Portuguese into the owners’ front porches and first little difficult to say exactly how many immigrants brought their Mediterranean floors. This gave the area a unique blocks make up the area, it’s about the culture and style to the Market. architectural feature—still visible today— size of 10 “regular” city blocks. It’s a of extensions built right out to the sidewalks. From the beginning, the market compact area, but you’d be hard-pressed A short history to spend less than four hours there—more sold a great range of items imported from Kensington Market has been the stage if you love poking around in vintage or the homelands of the various immigrant where the hopes, dreams, and struggles of bargain shops or want to sample some of communities. wave after wave of immigrants have been the ethnic cuisine on offer. During prime After World War II, much of the Jewish played out since the 1880s. time—weekends, summer evenings, and population moved uptown; they were festivals—Kensington is a bustling, vibrant After serving in the War of 1812, George replaced by immigrants from the Azores, place reminiscent of a European street Taylor Denison purchased a parcel of land the Caribbean, Hungary, the Ukraine, and market. Even though you won’t find live roughly bounded by Queen St. to the East Asia. During the Vietnam War, a poultry wandering around the streets these south, Bloor St. to the north, Lippincott to number of young Americans fleeing the days (a city bylaw banned the keeping of the west, and Augusta to the east. This Draft settled in the neighbourhood. During livestock in the area in 1986), the estate was subdivided in the 1850s; in the the last quarter of the 20th century, the Market’s Old World roots are still clearly 1880s, small houses were built to Market became home to immigrants visible. accommodate immigrant labourers (mostly escaping troubled homelands: some of Scottish and Irish at this time). You can Old World marketplace. Start your visit at these include Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, still see many of these houses, which have the corner of Baldwin and Spadina. You’ll Vietnam, Iran, and Latin America. Each been inhabited by generations of know you’re in the right place because of wave of immigrants brought more diversity immigrants over the last 125 years. the funky sculpture of a globe, orbited by and a new “flavour” to the area. The some of the products you’ll find in the Starting around 1910, Jewish immigrants writers, artists, and college students who Market, set high on a pole (#1 on the from eastern European and Russia and make their homes in the Market have map). This is a great spot to snap a photo some Italians moved into the area, which added a Bohemian element to the or two; face south, and you can even became known as “The Jewish Market”. predominantly working-class, immigrant sneak the CN Tower (the world’s tallest More and more small houses were built on neighbourhood. free-standing structure) into the frame. As tiny lots, and an open air market began to you walk west on Baldwin, you’ll start to feel the energy of a busy European market: fishmongers, cheese-shops, and produce A little trivia lanterns add to the fun. Since the stands nestle next to a tailor, a baker, and market is always crowded with holiday a spice shop.