Rosedale-Moore Park

Loring-Wyle Parkette & Sculptures
276 St. Clair Avenue East
While visiting Loring-Wyle Parkette, you'll find four sculptures by Frances Loring (1887-1968) and Florence Wyle (1881-1968). The two met as art students in Chicago in 1907 and moved to Toronto in 1913. Their works have gone on to be included at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the National Gallery and the War Museum in Ottawa. In addition to the sculptures featured in this parkette, another prominent piece by Loring and Wyle is the Queen Elizabeth Way Lion Monument found in Gzowski Park in the High Park Swansea neighbourhood.

birdO Mural
1 St. Clair Avenue East
Toronto street artist birdO added colour and life to the urban landscape at Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue East with their newest 10-storey mural at 1 St. Clair Avenue East. A towering image of a deer is mixed with birdO's signature surrealist style, playfully referencing the surrounding Deer Park neighbourhood.

Frontier College
35 Jackes Avenue
In 1899, missionary Alfred Fitzpatrick set out to improve the education and living conditions of the many labourers working demanding jobs in railway, lumber or mining camps across the country. He established Frontier College which, at the time, was the only national, non-denominational organization providing education to labourers in remote parts of Canada. Frontier College sent trained individuals to work alongside these labourers and teach them basic literacy and math skills in the evenings. Frontier College was designated of national significance in 1998 and continues to teach reading and basic skills to Canadian children, youth and adults today.

Rosehill Reservoir & David A. Balfour Park
75 Rosehilll Avenue
Beneath your feet is Toronto's largest reservoir. Built in 1873/4, and then enlarged in 1966, the Rosehill Reservoir has a capacity of 53,000,000 gallons. When it first opened it was a popular spot for locals to go swimming but, to their disappointment, the reservoir was fenced off during the Second World War to protect the water from being sabotaged, and then was finally enclosed during the Cold War, for much of the same reason. A portion of David A. Balfour Park is now located on the reservoir and features hiking and walking trails, a fountain, wading pool, 1.6 hectares of reflecting ponds and a waterfall. The 20.5-hectare park is named after David A. Balfour, who was first elected to City Council in 1939. During his time in office, he was strongly identified as representing Toronto's Roman Catholic population, in a heavily dominated Protestant municipal government.

North Toronto/Summerhill CPR Station
1109 Yonge Street
The Summerhill Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) Station opened in June 1916 and was the city's major transit hub until the new Union Station opened in 1927. As a result of the new Union Station and the Great Depression, the station saw a steep decline in passengers and closed in 1930. The station remained unused, except for in 1939 when the British royal family arrived there via a special train, and in 1945 when Canadian soldiers returned at the end of the Second World War. Many of the heritage pieces from the original station have been maintained, including ticket wickets, ticket wicket drawers, and the Great Hall. The 140-foot clock tower was inspired by the Campanile in Venice's St. Mark's Square, and the station was built in the Beaux-Arts style. In 2015, a time capsule placed in the cornerstone of the building in 1915 was opened. It contained 50 items, including blueprints, a Toronto map, coins, newspapers and a City of Toronto municipal handbook. A new time capsule from 2015 was added and is slated to be opened in 2115.

Centre of North and South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District
Chesnut Park and Roxborough Street East
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the sidewalk only. This is the largest Heritage Conservation District in Ontario, with a whopping 1800 properties that include both North and South Rosedale. The District varies in size but stretches from Summerhill Avenue in the north to Gerrard Street East in the south. According to the Ontario Heritage Act, 'a Heritage Conservation District (HCD) is a geographically defined area within a municipality that is noted for its distinct heritage character'. Rosedale was developed as an early picturesque suburb of Toronto, with varied architectural styles representative of upper class housing from the 1880s to 1930s. The District was home to some of early Toronto's most prominent citizens who commissioned houses from the city's leading architects of their time. Its curvilinear streets, mature tree canopy, park-sized lots and variety of historic styles contribute to a defined sense of place within close proximity to the downtown core.

First Grey Cup Game
In Rosedale Park (20 Scholfield Avenue)
On December 4, 1909, the University of Toronto Varsity Blues won the First Grey Cup on Rosedale Field, defeating the Parkdale Canoe Club. The Cup is named after Governor General of Canada His Excellency Earl Grey who donated the trophy. Upon the Varsity Blues' championship win, Grey had forgotten his donation and the cup wasn't ready to be presented. It wasn't until three months later that a sterling silver cup on a wooden base (then costing $48 dollars) was given to the University of Toronto. Rosedale Field has now been transformed into Rosedale Park, and a plaque in the park commemorates the event.

Former Home of Nancy Ruth
184 Roxborough Drive
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the sidewalk only. This was once the home of former Canadian Senator, feminist, social and political activist, and philanthropist Nancy Ruth. She lived here from 1980 to 1996 and, in that time, her home became a meeting place for women's groups who were fighting for a more equitable future. Most notably, during the repatriation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the early 80s, these women gathered in Nancy Ruth's home to plan a strategy to ensure women were included in the constitution. Section 28, which guarantees equal rights to 'male and female persons' was included in the Charter when the constitution was brought home in April 1982. Women also gathered here to assist lawyer Mary Eberts with the Native Women's Association of Canada's court case against the government for leaving the group out of the discussions that led to the Charlottetown Accord.

Yellow Creek
In Beaumont Park (9 Beaumont Road)
**Note: The trail can be accessed only from unpaved trails from Roxborough Drive or from David A. Balfour Park. Yellow Creek is in a ravine north of the Bloor Viaduct on the west side of the valley that drains into the Don River. There was a ford across the Don River at this point, and this was likely to have been used by First Nations people over the millennia. At the mouth of the ravine, there was a natural hill-like formation called the Sugar Loaf that marked the northernmost point that boats could travel up the Don River. The Sugar Loaf was demolished to make room for the construction of the Bloor Street Viaduct. Following Yellow Creek Northward leads one to the contemporary communities of Rosedale and Deer Park. The Mississaugas named this area of Mashquoteh, meaning 'meadow', which referred to the presence of a large savanna environment that once existed here. The savanna would have had scattered stands of trees (predominantly old growth red pine trees) punctuated by large areas of shrubs and grassland. Although it looked natural, this pine savanna was in fact managed by First Nations people through periodic controlled burns to encourage animals and plants that were significant sources of food and medicine.The existence of controlled burns is encoded in one of the Anishinaabemowin names for the Don River, which was recorded in an anglicized rendering as 'Wonscontonach'. This name roughly translates to a place swept by fire.

Craigleigh Gardens
160 South Drive
*Note: Milkmen's Lane has steep gravel inclines. Craigleigh Gardens was once the home of Sir Edmund Boyd Osler. Osler was a wealthy businessman involved in many different organizations. He was a founder of the Royal Ontario Museum, trustee at the Hospital For Sick Children, and worked alongside Henry Pellatt (of Casa Loma) and the Canadian Pacific Railway. Osler lived in his home, Craigleigh, for 40 years until his death in 1924. His children demolished the home and donated the eight-acre estate to the City. These ornamental gates were built in 1903 and are all that remain of the home. Craigleigh Gardens is still a beautiful manicured park, featuring an off-leash dog area, with plenty of benches, picnic tables and lush trees. Milkmen's Lane trail is located next to the park, and appears on historic maps dating back as far as 1890. It was originally intended for commercial vehicles (presumably milk trucks) and now acts as a hiking trail that connects to the Beltline Trail.

Former Home of Dr. John James Rickard Macleod
45 Nanton Avenue
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the sidewalk only. This house was once the home of Dr. John James Rickard Macleod, who was a physiologist and bio-chemist born in Scotland in 1876. He was already well known in his field for his research in carbohydrate metabolism and physiology when he, Sir Frederick G. Banting, Charles H. Best and James B. Collop discovered insulin. This discovery won them the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1923. Dr. Macleod had been recruited to the University of Toronto from the United States. It was there that he directed the research that led to the discovery and clinical use of insulin as an effective treatment for diabetes mellitus.

The Studio Building & Lawren Harris Park
25 Severn Street (Studio Building), 145 Rosedale Valley Road (Lawren Harris Park)
*Note: The Studio Building is private property. Please observe the building from the sidewalk only. The Studio Building is a national historic site and was commissioned by distinguished Canadian artist and founding member of the Group of Seven, Lawren Harris. The Group of Seven were a group of landscape artists and are the forerunners of a national Canadian artistic identity. Their focus on the Canadian landscape and their style drew both national and international attention. The Studio Building, designed by noted architect Eden Smith, is the earliest purpose-built artist studio in Canada and represents the vision of a young generation of Canadian artists. In addition to being linked to the Group of Seven, it was also used by artists Tom Thomson and Harold Town. The Studio Building has been an important studio for many notable Canadian artists since 1913, and continues to be used as an artist studio to this day.

The Billes Brothers
847 Yonge Street
In 1922, Toronto-born brothers John and Alfred Billes purchased a car shop called Hamilton Tire and Garage. Their business was incredibly successful and they incorporated their business in 1927, renamed the company Canadian Tire, and began opening franchises in Hamilton and in Toronto. The company boomed during the Great Depression, as it allowed people to self-service their own vehicles. In 1936, they were ready to expand their business further and open in a larger and grander location, so they purchased this building and opened this location. This store is just down the street from where the Billes brothers opened their first car repair shop behind their home at Hazelton and Webster Avenues.

Toronto Reference Library
789 Yonge Street
The Toronto Reference Library opened in 1977 and is the largest public library in Canada. The building was designed by Canadian architect Raymond Moriyama who also designed the Ontario Science Centre, Bata Shoe Museum and Scarborough Civic Centre. Today, the library houses several notable collections including the Baldwin Collection of Canadiana (rare Canadian history materials) and the Arthur Conan Doyle Collection (extensive materials devoted to the creator of Sherlock Holmes). There are several filming productions that have taken place at the Reference Library, including The Weeknd's music video for 'Secret' and 2010 film 'RED' starring Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren and Morgan Freeman.

The Toronto Purchase
160 Bloor Street East
In 1787, Crown representative Sir John Johnston met with representatives of the Mississaugas of the Credit at the Bay of Quinte in the hopes of gaining legal control of the land along Lake Ontario from Kingston to Niagara. At the meeting Johnston gifted the Mississaugas gunpowder, kettles, rum, lace hats, mirrors, and flannel. He later claimed that the gifts were payment for the requested land, a transaction that became known as the Toronto Purchase. Years later, the legitimacy of this claim came under scrutiny when the deed documenting the Toronto Purchase was discovered to be blank. The signatures of the Chiefs had been glued to the deed and the document lacked any description of the land that was supposedly sold to the Crown. With the legality of the transaction called into question, the Crown negotiated a new agreement with the Mississaugas of the Credit in 1805. The Crown claimed that the Mississaugas willingly sold 250,830 acres of land to the Crown for 10 shillings. The land included in the purchase was bordered by Etobicoke Creek to the west, Ashbridge's Bay to the east, and 28 miles north of Lake Ontario to the north. In 1986, the Mississaugas of the Credit challenged the fairness of the Toronto Purchase and submitted a Toronto Purchase specific claim with the Government of Canada. The Mississauga asserted that 10 shillings was an unfair purchase price for the land, that the Crown hadn't acted in good faith, and that the Crown had taken control of land beyond what was outlined in the agreement. In 2010, Government of Canada settled the case. The Mississaugas were awarded $145 million in compensation for the Toronto Purchase.