Birch Cliff
Encyclopedia
Birch Cliff is a neighbourhood in Toronto
, Canada
. It is located in the southwest part of the old city of Scarborough
running along shore of Lake Ontario
atop the eastern part of the Scarborough Bluffs
. The area was first developed as the home of the Toronto Hunt Club
in 1895 when the region was still mostly farms and woodland. Around the club and number of cottages were erected, and one of these was named "Birch Cliff." This name was also adopted by the local post office, and became the name for the neighbourhood.
As the Beaches
neighbourhood was built to the west, the region became the first part of Scarborough to be developed as a suburb
to the city of Toronto during the 1920s. Unlike the rest of Toronto, which was developed after the Second World War as automotive based suburbs, Birch Cliff began as a streetcar suburb
. With a TTC streetcar line running along Kingston Road
to Birchmount Road. As the most populated part of the borough, the Scarborough government met in a building on Kingston Road beginning in 1922. Kingston Road became a busy shopping district.
The post war years saw the streetcar disappear and Kingston Road become a major thoroughfare for those living further east in the newer suburbs. Most of the shops closed. The area by the lake and the ravines remained a wealthy residential district, while further north is a more middle class portion of Scarborough. This area further north is sometimes referred to as Birch Cliff Heights. The westernmost portion of the neighbourhood, west of the Hunt Club, is known as Fallingbrook. It is closely linked to the Beaches.
by the Toronto Brick Company. It covers a large area south of the railroad tracks, north of Gerrard, and east of Victoria Park. From 1954 to 1960 the old quarry was used as a landfill. In 1960 the landfill was shut down and the site was sold to a development company. At the time the Scarborough Expressway was planned to replace the rail line, and the site would have thus been next to a major interchange. It was thus zoned for high density apartment buildings with 1,450 units. The plan was a tower in a park scheme similar to what was built to the north at Crescent Town. The expense of cleaning up the former landfill delayed to project, and in the interim civic activism stopped the Scarborough Expressway. Modern Jane Jacobs
new urbanism
also firmly rejects such suburban tower plans, but the area retains the original zoning and under Ontario Municipal Board
the city is not allowed to revoke such a zoning. The area currently remains undeveloped, with a driving range
on the western edge of the land.
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...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It is located in the southwest part of the old city of 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...
running along shore of Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
atop the eastern part of the Scarborough Bluffs
Scarborough Bluffs
The Scarborough Bluffs is an escarpment in Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Forming much of the eastern portion of Toronto's waterfront, it is located along the shoreline of Lake Ontario. At its highest point, the escarpment rises above its foot and spans a length of...
. The area was first developed as the home of the Toronto Hunt Club
Toronto Hunt Club
The Toronto Hunt Club was established in by British Army officers of the Toronto garrison in 1843. It held gymkhana equestrian events at various sites around the city. In 1895 it acquired its first permanent home in a rural area east of the city between Kingston Road and the waterfront...
in 1895 when the region was still mostly farms and woodland. Around the club and number of cottages were erected, and one of these was named "Birch Cliff." This name was also adopted by the local post office, and became the name for the neighbourhood.
As the Beaches
The Beaches
The Beaches is a neighbourhood and popular tourist destination located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the east side of the "Old" City of Toronto. The original boundaries of the neighbourhood are from Fallingbrook Avenue on the east to Kingston Road on the north, to Woodbine Avenue...
neighbourhood was built to the west, the region became the first part of Scarborough to be developed as a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
to the city of Toronto during the 1920s. Unlike the rest of Toronto, which was developed after the Second World War as automotive based suburbs, Birch Cliff began as a streetcar suburb
Streetcar suburb
A streetcar suburb is a residential community whose growth and development was strongly shaped by the use of streetcar lines as a primary means of transportation. Early suburbs were served by horsecars, but by the late 19th century cable cars and electric streetcars, or trams, were used, allowing...
. With a TTC streetcar line running along 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...
to Birchmount Road. As the most populated part of the borough, the Scarborough government met in a building on Kingston Road beginning in 1922. Kingston Road became a busy shopping district.
The post war years saw the streetcar disappear and Kingston Road become a major thoroughfare for those living further east in the newer suburbs. Most of the shops closed. The area by the lake and the ravines remained a wealthy residential district, while further north is a more middle class portion of Scarborough. This area further north is sometimes referred to as Birch Cliff Heights. The westernmost portion of the neighbourhood, west of the Hunt Club, is known as Fallingbrook. It is closely linked to the Beaches.
Quarry Lands
A notable section of the neighbourhood is the former Birch Cliff Quarry. This area is a former quarry that was first used as a quarryQuarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
by the Toronto Brick Company. It covers a large area south of the railroad tracks, north of Gerrard, and east of Victoria Park. From 1954 to 1960 the old quarry was used as a landfill. In 1960 the landfill was shut down and the site was sold to a development company. At the time the Scarborough Expressway was planned to replace the rail line, and the site would have thus been next to a major interchange. It was thus zoned for high density apartment buildings with 1,450 units. The plan was a tower in a park scheme similar to what was built to the north at Crescent Town. The expense of cleaning up the former landfill delayed to project, and in the interim civic activism stopped the Scarborough Expressway. Modern Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs
Jane Jacobs, was an American-Canadian writer and activist with primary interest in communities and urban planning and decay. She is best known for The Death and Life of Great American Cities , a powerful critique of the urban renewal policies of the 1950s in the United States...
new urbanism
New urbanism
New Urbanism is an urban design movement, which promotes walkable neighborhoods that contain a range of housing and job types. It arose in the United States in the early 1980s, and has gradually continued to reform many aspects of real estate development, urban planning, and municipal land-use...
also firmly rejects such suburban tower plans, but the area retains the original zoning and under Ontario Municipal Board
Ontario Municipal Board
The Ontario Municipal Board is an independent administrative board, operated as an adjudicative tribunal, in the province of Ontario, Canada...
the city is not allowed to revoke such a zoning. The area currently remains undeveloped, with a driving range
Driving range
A driving range is an area where golfers can practice their swing. It can also be a recreational activity itself for amateur golfers or when enough time for a full game is not available. Many golf courses have a driving range attached and they are also found as stand-alone facilities, especially...
on the western edge of the land.
Landmarks
- Toronto Hunt ClubToronto Hunt ClubThe Toronto Hunt Club was established in by British Army officers of the Toronto garrison in 1843. It held gymkhana equestrian events at various sites around the city. In 1895 it acquired its first permanent home in a rural area east of the city between Kingston Road and the waterfront...
- Rosetta McClain Gardens
- Birchmount Park Collegiate InstituteBirchmount Park Collegiate InstituteBirchmount Park Collegiate Institute is a high school located in Scarborough, a part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It operates under the Toronto District School Board...
- St. Nicholas Anglican Church
- Birchcliff Bluffs United Church
- R.C. Harris Filtration Plant