Blake-Jones
Explore Blake-Jones
Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.
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We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at StrollTO@toronto.ca.
Neighbourhood Stroll
From community spaces to notable educational centres, this stroll through the Blake-Jones neighbourhood brings the community's rich history and culture to life. Learn the stories of cultural groups within the community and admire public murals and art installations in this family-oriented neighbourhood within Toronto's east end. Stroll through the Danforth Mosaic and GreekTown BIAs and find all sorts of one-of-a-kind shops to explore.
- Oakvale Green Community Gardens
77 Oakvale Avenue
Oakvale Green Community Gardens is a volunteer-based allotment garden. It was founded by local residents in the Oakvale Avenue Residents Association who originally wanted to enrich an empty field. The site now boasts a diverse membership of gardeners who have a keen interest in cultivating native plant species. The gardens include an orchard and 40 personal garden plots for growing food, as well as perennial flower beds within the plots and the wider surrounding park.
Read More - Madinah Masjid Mosque
1015 Danforth Avenue
The Madinah Masjid is one of Toronto's oldest and largest Masjids. The building was designed by Egyptian-born architect Zak Ghanim, who came to Canada in 1975. The building was converted into a masjid and Islamic Centre in 1984. It is a community gathering space for Muslims in Toronto's east end, with worshippers gathering for festive days such as Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Eid-ul-Adha, Friday prayers and other occasions. In 2007, the building was expanded to help the growth of the congregation, which is now at over 3,500 members. The renovation included the addition of a minaret, a tall tower characteristic of masjid architecture and used for the Muslim call to prayer. A dome was also added, with both of these architectural features emphasizing the Islamic significance of the building. The Madinah Masjid is a prominent symbol of the Islamic community in Toronto.
Read More - Kapapamahchakwew - Wandering Spirit School (Formerly the First Nations School of Toronto)
16 Phin Avenue
Indigenous children in the city of Toronto have been targets of discrimination within the education system for decades, and oftentimes have found themselves at odds with Eurocentric and colonial perspectives and narratives that have not been challenged by their teachers. These harmful perspectives and their negative effects often lead Indigenous students to disengage with their education. The First Nations School was formerly known as the Wandering Spirit School, and was established in 1976 by Vern Harper and Pauline Shirt in direct response to their son's negative experience within the public education system of Toronto. The school, which centred First Nations cultures, values, spiritualities, pedagogies, and languages, is appropriately named after Wandering Spirit, a Plains Cree warrior (1845-1885) said to have dedicated his life to defending his people and in turn preserving their culture. Before 1989, the School was operating out of the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto. Today the First Nations School offers about 80 students an education grounded in Indigenous Knowledges and languages. It is considered to be an essential part of Toronto's alternative school system.
Read More - Ben Kerr Lane
Just south of the Danforth; lane stretches between Jones Avenue (to the west) Euston Avenue (to the east)
This lane commemorates local musician Ben Kerr, an author, broadcaster, and musician. Kerr played guitar in Yorkville's folk clubs in the 1960s, performing alongside musicians such as Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, Rick James, and Steppenwolf. He also wrote songs for Neil Young, who was still unknown at the time. Kerr worked as an executive on the Toronto Harbour Commission for a time, and was a busker in the east end and other parts of Toronto. A popular local figure, Kerr was voted 'favourite street performer' in NOW Magazine's Toronto survey a number of times. He also ran in every Toronto mayoral election from 1985 until his death in 2005. The City officially named the laneway after Kerr in 2008.
Read More - Toronto Public Library - Pape/Danforth Branch
701 Pape Avenue
The Toronto Public Library's Pape/Danforth branch is an exceptional example of Tudor Revival architecture, with its mullioned windows and steep gables on the building facade. The library first opened in 1929, designed by Moorehouse & King Architects. After being retrofit in 1977 and 1983 to make space for the library's expanded holdings, the library's major renovation in 2006 by Hariri Pontarini Architects won an Award of Excellence in the Toronto Urban Design Awards in 2009 for public buildings. Pape/Danforth library was originally named Danforth Library, and has a substantial collection of books in Greek, French, and Chinese, reflecting the multiculturalism of the Blake-Jones community.
Read More - Earl Grey Senior Public School
100 Strathcona Avenue
Earl Grey Senior Public School is one of the oldest schools in the Danforth area. It opened in 1910 in the building on Jones Avenue before moving to its current location in 1962. The original building is now the Jones Avenue Adult Centre, which can still be seen next door. The school is named after the fourth Earl Grey, who was the ninth Governor General of Canada. The Grey Cup football championship was also named after him. The school boasts a language lab, a specialized music classroom, and a large swimming pool. It was also the location where the Borden High School scenes were filmed in the third season of 'Degrassi Junior High'. Sam Earle, the actor who played K.C. Guthrie, is an alumnus of the school, along with many of the other cast members of the Degrassi series.
Read More - Kempton Howard Park
150 Blake Street
Located near Jones and Danforth Avenues, this park features a ball diamond, children's playground, and wading pool. While the park was previously known as Eastview Park, the City of Toronto renamed it in 2007, in memory of Kempton Howard. Howard was a resident of the Blake-Jones neighbourhood and a youth worker at the Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre who was tragically killed in 2003. Howard made significant contributions to the neighbourhood by mentoring youth and providing counselling against drugs and gangs. He also coached youth basketball and led youth leadership programs. Through his work he achieved a youth Ontario Volunteer Service Award and a Boys and Girls Clubs of Ontario scholarship.
Read More - Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre
86 Blake Street
Eastview Neighbourhood Community Centre is a multi-purpose facility offering recreational programs and services to children, youth, families, seniors and newcomers.
- Blake Street Junior School Fence Mural
21 Boultbee Avenue
This community-based art installation is a mural of fence panels painted by the students of Blake Street Junior School. The fence project was led by artist Allycia Uccello, with students from kindergarten to grade 6 participating. Each student received their own panel to design and paint, and the collaborative art project has remained outside the school since it was first installed in 2018.
Read More - Jason Pinney Mural
333-339 Jones Avenue
Situated at the underpass on Jones Avenue, this mural was painted by Jason Pinney in 2018. Resplendent in shades of aquamarine, the mural illustrates the architectural and cultural fabric of the Blake-Jones neighbourhood, with vignettes of local community spots and the people who frequent them.
- Jones Avenue Cemetery
462 Jones Avenue
*Note: Private property. Please observe the cemetery from the sidewalk only. This cemetery is the second oldest Jewish cemetery in Toronto. It was originally purchased as farmland in 1883 by Eastern European Jews fleeing pogroms - anti-Jewish riots - in Czarist Russia. Called the Chevra Kadisha Chesed Shel Emes, the cemetery was consecrated in 1896. Part of the land was sold in 1919 to the Goel Tzedec congregation, one of only three Jewish congregations in Toronto at the time. The name Goel Tzedec can be seen over the north entrance of the wall facing onto Jones Avenue. The cemetery is still in partial operation, and it is the resting place of Toronto's first Orthodox Jewish rabbi, Rabbi Joseph Weinrib. While the cemetery is open by appointment only, the outer walls' architecture stands out within the neighbourhood.
Read More - Phin Park
115 Condor Avenue
Located just south of Danforth Avenue, Phin Park boasts outdoor table tennis, a basketball court, a children's playground, and a wading pool. The park's shaded spots are excellent for picnicking or relaxing during the warmer months.
Accessibility information: All locations are visible from the sidewalk. The walk is mostly flat but does run along the busy Danforth Avenue. Be mindful of cars in Ben Kerr Lane.
The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.
Soundtracks of the City
From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.
Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.