Danforth Avenue
Encyclopedia
Danforth Avenue is an east-west arterial road in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct
as a continuation of Bloor Street
and continues through East York
until intersecting with Kingston Road
in Scarborough
. West of Warden Avenue, Danforth Avenue intersects with Danforth Road, which runs diagonally north-east until south of Lawrence Avenue
, where it continues as McCowan Road.
The Bloor-Danforth line of the Toronto Subway
runs underneath most of Danforth Avenue.
, who built Queen Street and Kingston Road
, and started work in 1799. It was officially built by The Don and Danforth Plank Road Company in 1851 to Broadview Avenue, as well as connecting to Kingston Road.
In Scarborough
, Danforth Road is a separated route that connects Danforth Avenue with McCowan Road. It is possible, therefore, to stand at the intersection of "Danforth and Danforth", i.e. Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road. Local references, therefore, are careful to note whether it is the Avenue or the Road being referred to -- although the term "The Danforth" always refers to Danforth Avenue, and never to Danforth Road.
Previously, Danforth Road continued around the Highland Creek
along roadways now known as Painted Post Drive, Military Trail, Colonel Danforth Trail, and Highland Creek Drive.
and Bayview Avenue
via the Prince Edward Viaduct
. West of that bridge, the street continues as Bloor Street East
.
The Bloor-Danforth subway line
runs parallel to most of the road's route, offset to the north some 50 metres. The subway follows Danforth from the Viaduct west of Broadview Station
to Main Street Station
. The GO Transit
Danforth Station, just off Main Street, takes its name from the avenue, where the commuter rail line intersects with it, on the Lakeshore East route. Danforth is served by Toronto Transit Commission buses only east of Main Street station
. Routes 16 McCowan and 113 Danforth serve the road during the day and 302 Danforth-McCowan run during the night
.
On Christmas Eve 2001, the Woodbine Building Supply
fire occurred. The hardware store was located at the intersection of Danforth and Woodbine
. It was one of the biggest fires in Toronto's history, as 170 firefighters were required to bring the six-alarm blaze
under control. The building was less than 50 metres (164 ft) from residences in the neighborhood and more than fifty families had to evacuate their homes on Christmas morning. One person was killed and another was severely disfigured. Police and insurance quickly suspected arson and several people have since been convicted.
Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Danforth Road (west to east):
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. Its western end begins in Old Toronto from the Prince Edward Viaduct
Prince Edward Viaduct
The Prince Edward Viaduct System, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct or the viaduct, is the name of a truss arch bridge system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that connects Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east...
as a continuation of Bloor Street
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
and continues through East York
East York
East York can refer to:*East York, Pennsylvania, United States*East York, Ontario, Canada...
until intersecting with Kingston Road
Kingston Road (Toronto)
Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
in Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
. West of Warden Avenue, Danforth Avenue intersects with Danforth Road, which runs diagonally north-east until south of 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....
, where it continues as McCowan Road.
The Bloor-Danforth line of the Toronto Subway
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
runs underneath most of Danforth Avenue.
History
The road was named for contractor Asa Danforth Jr.Asa Danforth Jr.
Asa Danforth Jr. was one of the first citizens of Onondaga County, New York, when he arrived there with his father, Asa Danforth in 1788. Danforth incurred heavy debts speculating in land in New York State...
, who built Queen Street and Kingston Road
Kingston Road (Toronto)
Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
, and started work in 1799. It was officially built by The Don and Danforth Plank Road Company in 1851 to Broadview Avenue, as well as connecting to Kingston Road.
In Scarborough
Scarborough, Ontario
Scarborough is a dissolved municipality within the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Geographically, it comprises the eastern part of Toronto. It is bordered on the south by Lake Ontario, on the west by Victoria Park Avenue, on the north by Steeles Avenue East, and on the east by the Rouge River...
, Danforth Road is a separated route that connects Danforth Avenue with McCowan Road. It is possible, therefore, to stand at the intersection of "Danforth and Danforth", i.e. Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road. Local references, therefore, are careful to note whether it is the Avenue or the Road being referred to -- although the term "The Danforth" always refers to Danforth Avenue, and never to Danforth Road.
Previously, Danforth Road continued around the Highland Creek
Highland Creek (Toronto)
Highland Creek is a river in the Scarborough district of Toronto, Ontario, emptying into Lake Ontario at the eastern end of the Scarborough Bluffs. It is home to several species of fish including trout, carp, and bass. It is a meandering river which, like most rivers in Toronto , travels through a...
along roadways now known as Painted Post Drive, Military Trail, Colonel Danforth Trail, and Highland Creek Drive.
Route
The west end of the road spans the Don River valley, the Don Valley ParkwayDon Valley Parkway
The Don Valley Parkway is a controlled-access six-lane municipal expressway in Toronto connecting the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Ontario Highway 401, the Macdonald–Cartier Freeway. North of Highway 401, it continues as Ontario Highway 404. The parkway runs through...
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:...
via the Prince Edward Viaduct
Prince Edward Viaduct
The Prince Edward Viaduct System, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct or the viaduct, is the name of a truss arch bridge system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that connects Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east...
. West of that bridge, the street continues as Bloor Street East
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct westward into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same...
.
The Bloor-Danforth subway line
Toronto subway and RT
The Toronto subway and RT is a rapid transit system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, consisting of both underground and elevated railway lines, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission . It was Canada's first completed subway system, with the first line being built under Yonge Street, which opened in...
runs parallel to most of the road's route, offset to the north some 50 metres. The subway follows Danforth from the Viaduct west of Broadview Station
Broadview (TTC)
Broadview is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 90 Danforth Avenue and Broadview Avenue.Broadview is the north-eastern terminus of the 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcar routes.-History:...
to Main Street Station
Main Street (TTC)
Main Street is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2550 Danforth Avenue at Main Street, in Danforth Village. 350 metres to the south, Main Street connects to Danforth station on GO Transit's Lakeshore East railway line.This station is...
. The GO Transit
GO Transit
GO Transit is an inter-regional public transit system in Southern Ontario, Canada. It primarily serves the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area conurbation, with operations extending to several communities beyond the GTHA proper in the Greater Golden Horseshoe...
Danforth Station, just off Main Street, takes its name from the avenue, where the commuter rail line intersects with it, on the Lakeshore East route. Danforth is served by Toronto Transit Commission buses only east of Main Street station
Main Street (TTC)
Main Street is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2550 Danforth Avenue at Main Street, in Danforth Village. 350 metres to the south, Main Street connects to Danforth station on GO Transit's Lakeshore East railway line.This station is...
. Routes 16 McCowan and 113 Danforth serve the road during the day and 302 Danforth-McCowan run during the night
Blue Night Network
The Blue Night Network is the overnight public transit service operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The network consists of a basic grid of 22 bus and 2 streetcar routes, distributed so that almost all of the city is within 2 km of at least one...
.
Points of interest
- Danforth is home to Toronto's Greek community, also known as Greektown.
- Shoppers World DanforthShoppers World DanforthShoppers World Danforth is a hybrid shopping plaza and shopping mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has 40 stores serving parts of East York, Scarborough and The Beaches, near the Victoria Park subway station. Today a moderately sized suburban plaza, it has a notable place in history as one of the...
, a World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
munitions plant (and before that, a Ford Motor CompanyFord Motor CompanyFord Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
plant) converted into a shopping plaza in the 1950s. - Scarborough War MemorialWar memorialA war memorial is a building, monument, statue or other edifice to celebrate a war or victory, or to commemorate those who died or were injured in war.-Historic usage:...
, at the eastern end of Danforth Avenue at Kingston Road, once the junctions of former Highways 2Highway 2 (Ontario)King's Highway 2, usually referred to simply as Highway 2 is a provincially maintained highway in Ontario. Once the primary east–west route across the southern end of the province, Highway 2 became mostly redundant in the 1960s following the completion of Highway 401, which more or less...
and 5Highway 5 (Ontario)King's Highway 5, also known as Highway 5 and historically as the Dundas Highway, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The east–west highway travels a distance of between Highway 8 at Peter's Corners, north of Hamilton and Highway 6 at Clappison's Corners...
. - Variety Village, an athletic facility for disabled adults and youth.
- Birchmount StadiumBirchmount StadiumBirchmount Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor sports facility in Scarborough, Ontario near Kingston Road and Birchmount Road. Its capacity is 6,000 and was built for the then Borough of Scarborough....
and Scarborough Arena Gardens. - Bill's House of Wood - Largest wooden shoe shop in Canada.
- Bangla Town - home of Bangladeshi shoppers and eaters.
- Ralph DayRalph DayRalph C. Day was Mayor of Toronto, Ontario from 1938 to 1940. He was also an accomplished funeral director, owning his own funeral home. He also served as chairman of the Toronto Transit Commission in the 1960s and 1970s....
Funeral Home was the Danforth's oldest business at 180 Danforth, east of Broadview. The Day family still owns the business, however recently closed it and moved it larger facilities in neighbouring Thorncliffe Park
On Christmas Eve 2001, the Woodbine Building Supply
John Magno
John Magno is a Toronto businessman who is currently awaiting trial for arson, allegedly for insurance fraud....
fire occurred. The hardware store was located at the intersection of Danforth and Woodbine
Woodbine Avenue (Ontario)
Woodbine Avenue consists of two north-south road sections in central Ontario:# The southern section in Toronto begins near Ashbridges Bay on the shore of Lake Ontario, at Lake Shore Boulevard...
. It was one of the biggest fires in Toronto's history, as 170 firefighters were required to bring the six-alarm blaze
Multiple-alarm fire
One-alarm, two-alarm, three-alarm fires, or higher, are categories of fires indicating the level of response by local authorities, with an elevated number of alarms indicating increased commitment of resources. The term multiple-alarm is a quick way of indicating that a fire was severe and...
under control. The building was less than 50 metres (164 ft) from residences in the neighborhood and more than fifty families had to evacuate their homes on Christmas morning. One person was killed and another was severely disfigured. Police and insurance quickly suspected arson and several people have since been convicted.
See also
Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Danforth Avenue (west to east):- Broadview Avenue
- Pape Avenue
- Coxwell Avenue
- Woodbine AvenueWoodbine Avenue (Ontario)Woodbine Avenue consists of two north-south road sections in central Ontario:# The southern section in Toronto begins near Ashbridges Bay on the shore of Lake Ontario, at Lake Shore Boulevard...
- Victoria Park AvenueVictoria Park AvenueVictoria Park Avenue is a major north-south route in eastern Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It marks the border between the Old City of Toronto and Scarborough.-History:Victoria Park Avenue was originally a pioneer road for settlement of Scarborough...
- Warden Avenue
- Birchmount Road
- Kingston RoadKingston Road (Toronto)Kingston Road is the southernmost major road along the eastern portion of Toronto, specifically in the districts of East York and Scarborough. Until 1998, it formed a significant portion of Highway 2...
Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Danforth Road (west to east):
- Warden Avenue
- Birchmount Road
- Kennedy Road
- St. Clair AvenueSt. Clair AvenueSt. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road , north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street....
- Midland Avenue
- Brimley RoadBrimley RoadBrimley Road is a north-south street in Scarborough and York Region, Ontario, Canada. The road carries 32000 vehicles daily as of May 2007 and is classified as a major arterial road by the city of Toronto....
- Eglinton AvenueEglinton AvenueEglinton Avenue, originally known as the Richview Sideroad within Etobicoke, is an east-west arterial thoroughfare in Toronto and Mississauga, in the Canadian province of Ontario. Within Toronto, Eglinton Avenue is the only road which crosses through all six former boroughs...
- McCowan Road