Yorkdale-Glen Park

Gerald Gladstone 'Universal Man' at Yorkdale Shopping Centre
3401 Dufferin Street
When the Yorkdale Shopping Centre opened in 1964, it was the first indoor mall in Canada and biggest in the world. It was constructed during the modernist period and contains unique brutalist pieces of architecture such as the former Simpson's store. Several new wings have been added to the original project, however some features of the initial design remain. The mall was first targeted to suburban automobile-based communities until it was connected to the Spadina subway line in 1978, with its own station linked to the mall. Sitting outside the western entrance is an unusual piece of public art. Completed in 1976, this monument by Toronto sculptor Gerald Gladstone was commissioned by CN Railways and was originally located near the base of the CN Tower. In 1987 it was removed to make space for the construction of the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre). After lying forgotten under the Gardiner Expressway for several years, 'Universal Man' was moved to its present location in 1994.

Yorkdale Subway Station & Yorkdale Park
256 Ranee Avenue
Yorkdale Subway Station opened in 1978 as one of the eight stations in the Spadina Subway Extension. The station was designed by architect Arthur Erickson, who incorporated glass, steel columns and concrete into this modernist project. Built into the median of Allan Road, the station won the 1982 Governor General's Medal in Architecture. The station's futuristic and sci-fi appearance was utilized by Canadian filmmakers David Cronenberg ('Scanners') and Martyn Burke ('The Last Chase'). The entrance to Yorkdale Park provides the perfect vantage point to see the station from the exterior. The park itself contains a paved walking path that links the subdivision to the subway station and mall.

Dane Parkette
21 Dane Avenue
Dane Parkette features a playground and open, free-play turf area.

Caledonia Park & Lawrence Pumping Station
1141 Caledonia Road
The 11.5-hectare Caledonia Park features two cricket pitches with a practice wicket, a lit ball diamond, a multipurpose sports field and sand volleyball courts. Parking is available and accessible from Caledonia Road. At the edge of the park is the Lawrence Pumping Station, which still functions as the central hub for the west operations of Toronto Water. Built in 1958-59, the building reflects an earlier Art Deco style with its limestone clad siding on black granite base. The two sculptures flanking the windows consist of a fountain with an owl sitting atop a mini obelisk. The building was added to the City's Inventory of Heritage Properties in 2004.

Columbus Centre
901 Lawrence Avenue West
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. In 1980, the Columbus Centre opened to the Italian-Canadian community at Dufferin and Lawrence. The centre is part of a complex that was originally designed to provide care facilities for the elderly. Fundraising efforts of the community throughout the 1970s allowed for the creation of Villa Columbo in 1976, the retirement residences Caboto Terrace in 1983 and Casa Del Zotto in 1990. The Columbus Centre rotunda is built into an Italian sculpture garden with landscaped pathways, and offers recreational and cultural facilities. The centre was added to the City of Toronto Historical Register in 2018.

Wenderly Park
89 Wenderly Drive
Wenderly Park offers a children's playground, baseball diamond and open play fields.

Ghazaleh Rastgar Artbox
Southeast Corner of Dufferin Street and Wenderly Drive
The design of this artbox is a beehive to not only bring a bit of nature into the city but to emphasize and remind the passersby of the importance of bees and protecting their habitat, which is the environment as a whole. The warm and vibrant colour scheme has a positive effect on the viewers.

Glen Long Park
35 Glen Long Avenue
A 2-hectare park near Dufferin Street and Glencairn Avenue featuring a children's playground. Located within the park is the Glen Long Community Centre, an outdoor pool and an artificial ice rink.

Site of Dominion Bank Robbery
2851 Dufferin Street
In July 1950, Edwin Alonzo Boyd was back from the Second World War, and struggling to find work. Deciding that the best course of action would be bank robberies, he planned his next operation with an accomplice. Stealing a green convertible on the afternoon on July 3, they drove it to the Dominion Bank at 2851 Dufferin Street the following day. Leaving the car idling outside, the men headed into the bank. Boyd, with a flair for the dramatic, wore a stylish suit and a full face of garish makeup. The duo forced the six employees and one patron into the bank basement before making off with $1954 in cash and a revolver from the bank security. Boyd would continue to pull off bank robberies in Toronto over the next two years before being arrested in 1952, but not before earning a level of fame and infamy as the namesake of the Boyd Gang. The Boyd Gang were notorious for their gun fights, prison escapes, and ensuing manhunts in Toronto.

108 Stayner Avenue
108 Stayner Avenue
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage designated house dates back to 1852, when it was built for Jacob P. Ross, a farmer. The home is architecturally significant as an important example of Neoclassical styling. It is the only known house that survives from Fairbank, a nineteenth century settlement that was situated near present-day Dufferin Street and Eglinton Avenue West.