6 Reasons You’ll Love Living In Deer Park!
1 Location, Location, Location!
Deer Park is different from many u
pscale Toronto neighbourhoods in that its homes are not isolated on the periphery of the neighbourhood. The residential streets spill out onto either Yonge Street or St. Clair Avenue, right into the heart of one of Toronto’s busiest shopping, entertainment, and business districts.
2 Green spaces live in harmony with Public Transit!
You couldn’t find a better mix of access to lush, green parklands and their majestic trees. Daily trips to The Vale of Avoca, Rosedale ravine, The Belt
Line Trail for jogging, biking and strolling are a MUST! Though you’re surrounded by country-like settings, you still have access to street cars along St. Clair as well as buses to wisk you up & down Yonge Street or hop on the Subway right on the corner of Yonge/St. Clair. Everything is at your “front door”!
3 Prestigious Schools, Private AND Public.
In 1891 Upper Canada College moved from its urban location to the then still rural Deer Park area, establishing a large campus that remains in the same location today.
In 1931 De La Salle College (Toronto) moved from its downtown location to an estate named ‘Oaklands’ originally purchased and built upon by Senator John Macdonald in 1858.
Deer Park Public School has been serving the community for about 125 years. This iconic community school has many challenging academic, sport and art programs. They include basketball, football, ultimate frisbee, Me To We club, swim team and t
he theatre production.
4 Deer Park is RICH in history & architecture!
Deer Park was annexed by the City of T
oronto in 1908, and by the 1930s it had become an upper-middle class residential district, which it remains today.
De La Salle College (Toronto), an estate named “Oaklands” was once part of the Crown Lands deeded to Honourable John Elmsley in 1798. In 1858, Senator John Macdonald — a successful dry goods merchant who would become the only Liberal appointee to the Senate by Canada’s founding Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald — acquired 35 acres (140,000 m2) of it from the Anglican Church. The Oaklands mansion has been designated as a historical building by the Cit
y of Toronto as an example of local Gothic architecture.[3]
The Imperial Oil building, which has been converted to one of Toronto’s most prestigious Condominiums, is an example of iconic Modernist architecture and stands as one of the city’s most impressive buildings. The 21-storey building was built in 1957 as the headquarters of Imperial Oil, Canada’s largest oil company. The design was a design rejected for a proposed Toronto City Hall. The ground floor lobby features a famous mural, “The
Story of Oil”, executed by York Wilson in 1957.
Christ Church Deer Park and Deer Park United Church are only 2 examples of the grandeur of the many churches serving the neighbo
urhood.
5 Know Thy Neighbours! They might be famous!
Here’s a list of just SOME of Deer Park’s more well-known residents/neighbours.
Classical pianist Glenn Gould (1932–82) lived in Apt. 902 at 110 St Clair Avenue West from 1962 until his death in 1982. He is buried in nearby Mount Pleasant Cemetery.
J. E. H. MacDonald, a founding member of the Group of Seven painters, lived at 40 Duggan for several years until his death on September 26, 1932.
Pierre Salinger (1925–2004) was press secretary to presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and campaign manager to Robert F. Kennedy. He was mere metres away when R.F.K. was assassinated. He lived at 37 Lonsdale Road, while very young, from 1929-1932/3.
Writer Farley Mowat (1933–201
4) lived at 90 Lonsdale Road for six months in 1939-40.
6 Eat, Pray, Love!
By now, you can see that ther
e is MUCH to do and see in Deer Park. But I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight that there is a vast array of fine restaurants, home decor boutiques and fashion shops lining both sides of Yonge Street and walking distance from your home! Really, the T
oronto Deer Park “world is your oyster”! I’m happy to prove it to you, as soon as you’re ready to relocate to this vibrant neighbourhood!
