Runnymede, Toronto
Encyclopedia
Runnymede is a neighbourhood in Toronto
, Ontario
, Canada
located north of Bloor Street West
between Jane Street and Runnymede Road north to Dundas Street West
. It is located directly north of the former village of Swansea
and west of the High Park North
neighbourhood. The immediate area around Bloor Street is commonly known as Bloor West Village after the shopping area along Bloor Street, whereas the area to the north is considered the Runnymede neighbourhood. The name Runnymede originates with the estate of John Scarlett
, an early land owner in the area.
style) two story brick houses, however renovations are becoming popular and many of the traditional homes are being torn down to create larger, more modern homes. The tree-lined streets in this area, which was annexed by the city of Toronto in 1909 make this a popular residential neighbourhood. Much of its development was originally due to the creation of a streetcar line along Bloor Street, which the TTC
later replaced by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, built in the 1960s.
The neighourhood's first residents were largely Irish and Anglo-Saxon, followed eventually by immigrants of Eastern Europe
an origin. The ethnicity of the area, as recorded in the 2001 Census of Canada is still largely English, Irish and Scottish. The largest Eastern European groups are Ukrainian and Polish; the Ukrainian language was the most commonly spoken non-English language by residents of this community. The 2006 Census of Canada estimated the number of residents within the neighbourhood as 9,565.
, Ontario
, Canada
. Located along Bloor Street
, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between Jane Street and Ellis Park Road, consisting of more than 400 shops, restaurants and services. The mix of stores include specialty clothing stores, book stores, restaurants and cafes.
on Jane Street or Bishop Marroco/Merton, Western Technical Commercial School, Ursula Franklin Academy
or Humberside Collegiate Institute
high schools located to the east.
St. Pius is an elementary school located on Jane Street, just north of Bloor Street.
James Culnan Catholic School
Culnan is an elementary school
located on Willard Avenue and offers Junior Kindergarten
to Grade 8
education, with an extended French
program starting in Grade 5
. The current enrollment is 421 students and the principal is Lillian Ugrin.
The school, named for trustee
James Culnan, was opened in 1970 with the official opening and blessing 6 June 1971. Although the main entrance is on Willard Avenue, houses on both it and Windermere Avenue were expropriated
to allow for the building of the school. In 1995 the school celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special mass
at St. James Church. James Culnan was a trustee for 37 years, until his death in 1964, and was knighted by Pope Pius XII
in 1957 in honour of his work with the Metropolitan Separate School Board, today the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
The school has a mandatory blue and white dress code
. The school's religion program teaches Catholic faith
and is integrated closely to St James Parish.
and Runnymede Road
. Buses runs north from Jane Station and north and south from Runnymede Stations. Annette Street is served by a bus line from Jane Station. A night bus replaces the subway line during the early morning hours along Bloor Street.
The BIA hosts:
bookstore in the late 1990s. Aside from discontent about the effect of a large bookstore undermining older local businesses, many residents were upset that the local historic movie theatre was going to be gutted to make room for the new store. However, the arrival of Chapters allowed restoration of the historical Runnymede Theatre
. At the time Chapters was the only company willing to make the $5 million investment necessary to restore the building.
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
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...
located north of Bloor Street West
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...
between Jane Street and Runnymede Road north to Dundas Street West
Dundas Street (Toronto)
Dundas Street, also known as Highway 5 west of Toronto, is a major arterial road connecting the centre of that city with its western suburbs and southwestern Ontario beyond...
. It is located directly north of the former village of Swansea
Swansea, Toronto
Swansea is a neighbourhood in the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, bounded on the west by the Humber River, on the north by Bloor Street, on the east by High Park and on the south by Lake Ontario...
and west of the High Park North
High Park North
High Park North, or often, simply 'High Park', after the park, is a neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the south by Bloor Street, on the west by Runnymede Road, on the north by Annette Street, Quebec Avenue and Humberside Avenue, and on the east by the CNR/CPR railway...
neighbourhood. The immediate area around Bloor Street is commonly known as Bloor West Village after the shopping area along Bloor Street, whereas the area to the north is considered the Runnymede neighbourhood. The name Runnymede originates with the estate of John Scarlett
John Scarlett (Toronto)
John Scarlett was an merchant-miller who played a significant role in the development of the part of the historic York Township that later became the Junction neighbourhood of Toronto.- Early Life :...
, an early land owner in the area.
Main streets
The major streets are Bloor Street, Jane Street and Annette Street. Bloor Street, the main thoroughfare, is a four-lane arterial road, lined with mainly commercial and retail, predominately two-storey buildings with a retail first floor and residential on the upper floors. Most businesses are local stores and restaurants and there are some chains of fast-food restaurants. The businesses are organized into the Bloor-West Village Business Improvement Association. The Runnymede Library is also located on Bloor. Jane Street, which is a four-lane arterial road running north from Bloor, changes along its length within the neighbourhood, being predominantly commercial and retail around Bloor Street and Annette. Annette, in the northern part of the neighbourhood, is a four-lane arterial road, which runs east-west and is predominantly residential with some schools and the Annette Library located along the street.Character
Houses in this neighbourhood are generally (often American craftsmanAmerican Craftsman
The American Craftsman Style, or the American Arts and Crafts Movement, is an American domestic architectural, interior design, landscape design, applied arts, and decorative arts style and lifestyle philosophy that began in the last years of the 19th century. As a comprehensive design and art...
style) two story brick houses, however renovations are becoming popular and many of the traditional homes are being torn down to create larger, more modern homes. The tree-lined streets in this area, which was annexed by the city of Toronto in 1909 make this a popular residential neighbourhood. Much of its development was originally due to the creation of a streetcar line along Bloor Street, which the TTC
Toronto Transit Commission
-Island Ferry:The ferry service to the Toronto Islands was operated by the TTC from 1927 until 1962, when it was transferred to the Metro Parks and Culture department. Since 1998, the ferry service is run by Toronto Parks and Recreation.-Gray Coach:...
later replaced by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, built in the 1960s.
The neighourhood's first residents were largely Irish and Anglo-Saxon, followed eventually by immigrants of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an origin. The ethnicity of the area, as recorded in the 2001 Census of Canada is still largely English, Irish and Scottish. The largest Eastern European groups are Ukrainian and Polish; the Ukrainian language was the most commonly spoken non-English language by residents of this community. The 2006 Census of Canada estimated the number of residents within the neighbourhood as 9,565.
Bloor West Village shopping district
Bloor West Village is a shopping district in TorontoToronto
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
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...
. Located along 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...
, it encompasses all businesses along Bloor Street between Jane Street and Ellis Park Road, consisting of more than 400 shops, restaurants and services. The mix of stores include specialty clothing stores, book stores, restaurants and cafes.
Schools
The village has a handful of public, semi-public, and catholic elementary and high-schools. High school students from this area can attend Runnymede Collegiate InstituteRunnymede Collegiate Institute
Runnymede Collegiate Institute is a high school located on Jane Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school first opened in 1927 and is operated by the Toronto District School Board. The school principal is Paul Edwards....
on Jane Street or Bishop Marroco/Merton, Western Technical Commercial School, Ursula Franklin Academy
Ursula Franklin Academy
Ursula Franklin Academy is a high school located in the High Park North neighbourhood of Toronto, Canada. Originally located in the Dufferin-Bloor area at 90 Croatia Street, UFA moved in 2002 to share a building with Western Technical-Commercial School and The Student School. Students can attend...
or Humberside Collegiate Institute
Humberside Collegiate Institute
Humberside Collegiate Institute is a public high school located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It serves the Bloor West Village, High Park North and Junction neighbourhoods. Humberside was established in 1892 and has an academic program for students in grades 9 through 12...
high schools located to the east.
Public schools
- King George Junior Public School is a public elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
located on Rexford Road. It first opened in 1911, the year of King George VGeorge V of the United KingdomGeorge V was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 through the First World War until his death in 1936....
's coronation, it replaced Elizabeth Street School, built in 1882. The present building opened in 1964. King George houses the co-operative Humbercrest Nursery School for children between the ages of 2.5 to 4 and a Learning Enrichment Before and After School Program for children 6 to 12 years of age. - Runnymede Collegiate InstituteRunnymede Collegiate InstituteRunnymede Collegiate Institute is a high school located on Jane Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The school first opened in 1927 and is operated by the Toronto District School Board. The school principal is Paul Edwards....
is a public high schoolHigh schoolHigh school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
on Jane Street. - Runnymede Public School is a publicPublicIn public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individuals, and the public is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the Öffentlichkeit or public sphere. The concept of a public has also been defined in political science,...
elementary schoolElementary schoolAn elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
on Runnymede Road. It has grades JK-8 and has around 1100 students enrolled. The school was founded in 1913 as a one-room schoolhouse.
Catholic schools
St Pius X Catholic SchoolSt. Pius is an elementary school located on Jane Street, just north of Bloor Street.
James Culnan Catholic School
Culnan is an elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
located on Willard Avenue and offers Junior Kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
to Grade 8
Eighth grade
Eighth grade is a year of education in the United States, Canada, Australia and other nations. Students are usually 13 - 14 years old. The eighth grade is typically the final grade before high school, and the ninth grade of public and private education, following kindergarten and subsequent grades...
education, with an extended French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
program starting in Grade 5
Fifth grade
Fifth grade is a year of education in the United States and many other nations. The fifth grade is the fifth school year after kindergarten. Students are usually 10 – 11 years old, and are preteens...
. The current enrollment is 421 students and the principal is Lillian Ugrin.
The school, named for trustee
Board of education
A board of education or a school board or school committee is the title of the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or higher administrative level....
James Culnan, was opened in 1970 with the official opening and blessing 6 June 1971. Although the main entrance is on Willard Avenue, houses on both it and Windermere Avenue were expropriated
Eminent domain
Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
to allow for the building of the school. In 1995 the school celebrated its 25th anniversary with a special mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
at St. James Church. James Culnan was a trustee for 37 years, until his death in 1964, and was knighted by Pope Pius XII
Pope Pius XII
The Venerable Pope Pius XII , born Eugenio Maria Giuseppe Giovanni Pacelli , reigned as Pope, head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City State, from 2 March 1939 until his death in 1958....
in 1957 in honour of his work with the Metropolitan Separate School Board, today the Toronto Catholic District School Board.
The school has a mandatory blue and white dress code
School uniform
A school uniform is an outfit—a set of standardized clothes—worn primarily for an educational institution. They are common in primary and secondary schools in various countries . When used, they form the basis of a school's dress code.Traditionally school uniforms have been largely subdued and...
. The school's religion program teaches Catholic faith
Catholicism
Catholicism is a broad term for the body of the Catholic faith, its theologies and doctrines, its liturgical, ethical, spiritual, and behavioral characteristics, as well as a religious people as a whole....
and is integrated closely to St James Parish.
Transportation
The area is served by the Bloor-Danforth subway line, with stations at Jane StreetJane (TTC)
Jane is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2440 Bloor Street West at Jane Street. It was opened in 1968.- Entrances :...
and Runnymede Road
Runnymede (TTC)
Runnymede is a station on the Bloor–Danforth line of the subway system in Toronto, Canada. It is located at 2218 Bloor Street West at Runnymede Road...
. Buses runs north from Jane Station and north and south from Runnymede Stations. Annette Street is served by a bus line from Jane Station. A night bus replaces the subway line during the early morning hours along Bloor Street.
Culture
The neighbourhood has two Toronto Public Library locations, Runnymede and Annette, and there is a nearby location in Swansea.The BIA hosts:
- Annual Ukrainian Festival in September (music, foods and crafts).
- July Festival, which is a local fair of amusements and entertainment.
- Halloween Festival on Armadale Avenue, Beresford Avenue and Glendonwynne Road (family-friendly activities).
- Participates in the Toronto city-wide "Cavalcade of Lights" (December)
Neighbourhood issues
The neighbourhood has a history of opposing large scale redevelopment. In 1966, Romark Developments proposed the construction of a giant apartment complex at Bloor and Jane streets. The plan proposed the construction of 15 apartment buildings (one as high as 38 storeys), shopping centres and open space. The project was estimated to cost $60 million to construct. It would have ranged from Bloor and Jane Street east to Runnymede Road and north to Colbeck Street. Over 1,000 ratepayers came out at a public meeting on March 7, 1966 at Runnymede School to oppose the project.Runnymede Theatre
A great furor accompanied the arrival of a ChaptersChapters
Chapters is a Canadian big box bookstore banner owned by Indigo Books and Music. Formerly a company in its own right competing with Indigo, the combined company has continued to operate both banners since their merger in 2001.-History:...
bookstore in the late 1990s. Aside from discontent about the effect of a large bookstore undermining older local businesses, many residents were upset that the local historic movie theatre was going to be gutted to make room for the new store. However, the arrival of Chapters allowed restoration of the historical Runnymede Theatre
Runnymede Theatre
Runnymede Theatre was a playhouse located in Bloor West Village, an affluent west end Toronto neighbourhood. In 1999, it ceased its operations as a movie theatre to become a Chapters bookstore...
. At the time Chapters was the only company willing to make the $5 million investment necessary to restore the building.