East End-Danforth

Community Centre 55>GRIP Mural
856 Kingston Road
The detailed design of this piece incorporates six types of birds and a coloured background that transitions from night to day. It was painted as part of Community Centre 55s Mural Program, which helps transform heavily tagged walls into impressive works of art.

Malvern Collegiate Institute
55 Malvern Avenue
Malvern Collegiate Institute was built in 1906. It was originally a four-room schoolhouse that has since undergone numerous expansions over the years. The gymnasium was built in 1924 and was featured in the film 'Mean Girls', including the trust-fall scene near the end of the movie. The round portion of the building is a library wing, added in 1987. The statue in front of it is dedicated to the 24 students who sacrificed their lives in the Second World War. The memorial was sculpted by Emmanuel Hahn, who also designed the Canadian dime featuring the Blue Nose, the Canadian quarter with the caribou and the Adam Beck Memorial on University Avenue. The marble figure was unfortunately vandalized in 2011 and one of the arms is still missing its hand and a sword.

Fire Station 226
87 Main Street
*Note: This is an active fire station. Please do not block the driveway. Station 226 has been an active fire station for over a century. Built in 1910, this picturesque two-storey building features red brick with stone detailing and trim, as well as a rounded central window and a steep gabled roof. It is one of the few remaining fire stations in Toronto built in the Amsterdam School and Romanesque Revival style. Look closely to see the original Fire Station No. 22 inscription on the front.

Community Centre 55
97 Main Street
Designed in 1911 by Robert McCallum (who also designed the Riverdale Library), this Beaux-Arts style building stands out because of its corner entrance and ornate detailing. Replacing the East Toronto Town Hall that was built on this site in 1888, this building opened as Police Station Number 10 - you can spot the inscription above the entranceway - and later became the headquarters for 55 Division of the Metropolitan Toronto Police Service. Today, Community Centre 55 (named after the former police headquarters) is a neighbourhood hub that has provided a variety of services and programs since 1975. Two colourful planter boxes outside the building pay tribute to Community Centre 55 and the City of Toronto, and depict various scenes, including a police car, fire truck, multi-coloured pattern, school supplies, and an ant hill.

Toronto Public Library - Main Street Branch
137 Main Street
This quaint library is housed in an Arts-and-Crafts-style cottage set back off the street, giving visitors a peaceful escape in the middle of a busy neighbourhood. With many British immigrants in the area in the early 1900s, libraries and other public buildings, such as the Coxwell Stables, often used architectural styles in keeping with historical British traditions, such as using half-timbered gables and an overhanging second floor. Originally called the Eastern Branch, the library moved to this location in 1921, and was renamed the Main Street Library in 1939.

Jim Bravo StART Frontline Heroes Mural
165 Main Street, South-east corner facing Gerrard Street East
This is one of 15 street art wall murals painted by local street, mural and graffiti artists to celebrate Toronto's frontline workers and their heroic efforts during the COVID19 pandemic. The series is called StART Frontline Heroes Art Project. This mural was painted by Jim Bravo in November 2020.

East Toronto Athletic Field
175 Main Street
Formerly a rail yard for the Grand Trunk Railway, the East Toronto Athletic field is a 4-hectare park that's been here in some shape or form for 120 years. It features three ball diamonds, a children's playground, a wading pool and is adjacent to the Ted Reeves Community Arena. The arena was half-funded by community fundraisers and door-to-door donations, with the remaining half by the City of Toronto. Ted Reeve was a Toronto Telegram writer who wrote several articles that helped raise the funds for the construction of the arena. The Ed McCleverty Playground is an equal access playground designed for children with disabilities. It provides children with a fun way to develop coordination, language and negotiation skills, hand-eye coordination and strength. Ed McCleverty was the driving force behind the construction of the playground.

Danforth LINC
2575 Danforth Avenue - Unit 10
Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC) is run by the Toronto District School Board and serves landed immigrants and refugees. The centre offers several services, including English lessons and child care for its clients. They assist newcomers to Canada in the settlement process and in acclimating to their new home.

Bangladesh Centre and Community Services
2670 Danforth Avenue
Located on the second floor, Bangladesh Centre and Community Services aims to empower South Asian newcomers living in Toronto by providing social and community services. The centre is run by volunteers and community partners to provide South Asian newcomers and the larger community with specialized workshops, counselling services, settlement services, and cultural events.

Alleyway of Dreams
Between Coleman Park and Danforth Avenue
This somewhat hidden urban gallery features a number of murals on the back walls and garages of local businesses. This creative initiative was championed by the Danforth Village BIA, supporting the long-term community art project started by local residents Mark Kerwin and Sarosh Anwar. The murals bring colour to the area, creating a safe public space and fun outdoor art gallery. Make sure to see the Bangladesh Centre and Community Services' collaborative youth mural, a SPARK project of the 2017 Cultural Hotspot, at the western end of the alley.

Stanley G. Grizzle Park
21 Chisholm Avenue
In 2007, this hidden oasis was dedicated to Stanley G. Grizzle (1918-2016), a community leader known for his political career and activism around civil rights and labour unions. Born in Toronto to Jamaican immigrants, Grizzle worked as a railway porter and helped form the Young Men's Negro Association of Toronto, starting his career as a leader in Canada's civil rights movement. After serving in the Second World War, Grizzle became an active campaigner for union rights. He worked with the Joint Labour Committee to Combat Racial Intolerance and founded the Railway Porters' Trade Union Council. For over 15 years, Grizzle was president of the Toronto Canadian Pacific Railroad Division of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. In 1978, he became the first Black Canadian appointed as a Citizenship Judge and was awarded the Order of Ontario and the Order of Canada in recognition of his accomplishments.

Jacquie Comrie Mural
2360 Danforth Avenue
This mural by local artist Jacquie Comrie was painted in 2019. Her style usually incorporates bright colours, and the colours in this piece represent humankind. The mural is a reflection of the multiculturalism of the community and Toronto as a whole.

Grant African Methodist Episcopal Church
2029 Gerrard Street East
The Grant African Methodist Episcopal Congregation (Grant AME) was formed in 1833 and is one of the oldest Black churches in Toronto. Many of its original members fled from the United States to Toronto through the Underground Railroad. At first, members of the Grant AME congregation met in each other's homes for worship until the church moved to a permanent space on Soho Street in downtown Toronto in 1929. It relocated to this church building (built in 1926) in 1991. The Women's Missionary School conducts outreach, and the Lay Organization and Harriet Tubman Organization works with youth to provide educational and mentorship programs and financial support.

Cassels Avenue Playground
69 Cassels Avenue
This 1.6-hectare park features a dogs off-leash area, a splash pad and a children's playground. The pretty, lush greenery provides wonderful shaded areas throughout the park.

Norway Post Office
320 Kingston Road
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This was the site of the former post office for the Village of Norway. In 1837, there were approximately 80 residents in the village which included a hotel, store, brewery and a steam-operated saw mill. The post office was built in 1866, just west of the town's mill. It is believed that the village got its name from the Norway Pines that dominated the region. The harvesting of the lumber from these trees was one of the community's main industries. Part of the land where the village was located was originally owned by Charles Coxwell Small, who pushed to have the village named after his hometown of Berkeley in Britain but, after his passing, the name Norway stayed. The Norway Post Office was renamed Toronto Sub Office No. 4. Two years later in 1907, the Village of Norway was annexed to the City of Toronto. The building stopped operating as a post office in 1955, and was demolished in 1982. A few other reminders of the village remain nearby including Norway Avenue and Norway Public School.