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AVENUE ROAD

Avenue Road is a major north-south street in Toronto, Ontario. Its contradictory name is considered unusual by some Torontonians. Robert Fulford once wrote that it "sounded like an identity crisis with pavement."[1] However, it is a common street name elsewhere, notably London, where at least 40 streets bear this name[2]. The road is a continuation of Queen's Park, a short street which joins Queen's Park Crescent East and West, after they have gone round Queen's Park and the Ontario Legislative Assembly, to Bloor Street[3].

Avenue Road , the western limits of the former town of Yorkville, officially begins at Bloor Street and ends just north of Highway 401. At its southern terminus, it runs between two of Toronto's major hotels, the Park Hyatt (on the northwest corner of Bloor and Avenue Road) and the Four Seasons Hotel. On the northeast corner of the innersection with Bloor is the Church of the Redeemer. For much of its length the road is fairly residential, with a mix of small businesses, as well as a few large schools and churches. A notable site along this "lower section" is the Hari Krishna Temple, formerly the Avenue Road Church, opposite Dupont Street. Just north of St. Clair Avenue, Avenue Road is interrupted by Upper Canada College, resuming again at Kilbarry Road[3].

North of Eglinton Avenue, the former St. James-Bond Church can be seen. This building, once housing two prime downtown congregations – St. James Square (formerly Presbyterian), and Bond Street (formerly Congregationalist) – was built in the late 1920s, and is closing in June 2005. It is rumoured that author Ian Fleming was inspired to name Agent 007 (James Bond) after seeing the sign for this church (although this is not confirmed).

Near Lawrence Avenue is Havergal College, a large, private girl's school. Although in the former city of North York, much of the area considers itself part of North Toronto[citation needed]. Avenue Road ends at Bombay Avenue, just after crossing Highway 401 (exit 367)[3]; prior to the construction of this expressway/superhighway in the 1950s, Avenue Road or the former Ontario Provincial Highway 11A, veered east, crossing the West Don River Valley from Yonge Street, bypassing the area known as Hoggs Hollow.

A few miles north of Toronto's Avenue Road, there is an Avenue Road in Richmond Hill, Ontario, running almost due north of the Toronto one.

Trivia

There is a joke about how Avenue Road got its name. According to local legend, Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe was surveying the old town of York and came to a spot on Bloor Street and pointed north. He said (in an English accent), "Let's 'av a new road!"

See also

Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Avenue Road (south to north):

Reference

  1. ^ Robert Fulford. Accidental City: The Transformation of Toronto.
  2. ^ Collins Street Atlas: M25 London Master, Collins, 2001
  3. ^ a b c Toronto Pocket Street Atlas, MapArt Publishing, 2000