THE GRANGE NEIGHBOURHOOD
The Grange neighbourhood is a vibrant, downtown community bounded by College Street to the north, Queen Street to the south, and University Avenue and Spadina Avenue to the east and west. These major perimeter streets are lined with restaurants and busy stores. The area is also home to the Art Gallery of Ontario, OCAD University (Canada’s largest and oldest educational institution for art and design), a University of Toronto student residence and the University Health Network. The existing public realm along Simcoe, St. Patrick and McCaul streets features long north-south vehicular and pedestrian flow, with few opportunities for east-west connectors. Currently, the neighbourhood is experiencing a surge of condo development with limited green space to serve this growing community.
A NEIGHBOURHOOD RICH WITH LAYERED HISTORY
Located on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, the Huron-Wendat, the Métis and other Indigenous nations, the area was widely used as an encampment and hunting area. The neighbourhood began in the early 1800’s as an upper class estate known as the Grange, bounded on the east by what is
now called University Avenue, leading to the University of Toronto lands. As the city grew, the neighbourhood quickly became home to communities of new immigrants living in rows of modest workers’ houses. In the 21st century, the Grange community is transforming again. It is experiencing the rapid growth of condo buildings and thousands of new residents who need culturally rich and healthy green environments. Relic Park will help to meet the needs of this fast growing community.
THE ARTS
The Grange neighbourhood also contains one of Canada’s greatest fine art collections outside of the National Gallery in Ottawa. The Grange estate became the city’s fine art epicentre when the Art Museum of Toronto was established there in 1900, becoming the Art Gallery of Toronto in 1919, and Art Gallery of Ontario in 1966. The AGO is a leading example of an international gallery bringing people together to create community through art. Adjacent to the AGO and Grange Park, OCAD University (formerly the Ontario College of Art and Design) is a bold landmark for the neighbourhood and the centre of student life and related art businesses. Both institutions are artistic innovators through architectural expression that challenges conventions of design while fostering a haven for the creative arts.
The arts are further enhanced within the Grange neighbourhood by a cross pollination with members of the Fashion District. Many businesses and studios are integrated into the fabric of the community, notably Malabar Limited providing costume rentals to the public and Toronto’s theatre scene.
Campbell House Museum, in the southeast corner of the Grange neighbourhood, acts as the perfect stage to bring together the arts and heritage through its creative approach to programming. The museum is where the idea of Relic Park took shape. Campbell House is well positioned to connect Relic Park with the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, the downtown core, and the Queen Street corridor.
THE GRANGE GREEN PLAN
In July 2018, the Grange Green Plan was proposed by the Grange Community Association and adopted by City Council as an action plan to enhance and enlarge the green space in the neighbourhood. This plan will contribute to the City’s environmental and climate change agenda, improving both human and ecosystem health within the Grange community and city-wide systems while enhancing private greening efforts. This greener neighbourhood will provide an enhanced public realm that maximizes the effectiveness of the streets and laneways as the area continues to densify. The transformed cityscape will, over time, improve stormwater retention, reduce heat island impacts, abate air and noise pollution, and expand habitat and corridors for animals and plant pollinators. This plan is consistent with the Park and Public Realm strategy in TOcore.
