Living in Trinity Bellwoods
The focal point of this inner-city neighbourhood is the very picturesque Trinity-Bellwoods Park, which spans the entire length of the neighbourhood. This park features a paved walking path that is highlighted by distinguished cast iron lamp poles and a lush greenery. In addition to Trinity-Bellwoods Park, this neighbourhood also features affordable Victorian houses, excellent shopping districts, and convenient access to major transportation routes for motorists and pedestrians.
History of Trinity Bellwoods
In the early 1800’s, Trinity-Bellwoods was part of a tract of land belonging to Captain Samuel Smith. Smith named his one hundred acre Park Lot ‘Gore Vale’. Gore was in honour of Lieutenant-Governor Francis Gore, and Vale denoted the ravine that is now Trinity-Bellwoods Park. The lower half of Gore Vale became the grounds of Trinity College, after which this neighbourhood is named. Trinity College was built in 1852, on the site where Trinity-Bellwoods Park is now situated. The entrance gates to Trinity College are still standing at the foot of Queen Street and Strachan Avenue, and serve as a lonely reminder of this once proud institution. The present day neighbourhood began to take shape in the 1880’s. By the early 1900’s, the Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood was completely developed.
Homes in Trinity Bellwoods
Trinity-Bellwoods houses were built largely between 1880 and 1905. They are small to medium in size, and are typical of the Victorian period of architecture found in Toronto’s downtown neighbourhoods Many of the houses in this neighbourhood either front or back onto Trinity-Bellwoods Park. Some of Trinity-Bellwoods’ larger houses are located on Shaw Street, a pretty tree-lined boulevard that is twice as wide as the other streets in this neighbourhood. Trinity-Bellwoods also contains a handful of interesting lofts that offer an alternative to those seeking a relatively maintenance free lifestyle, with all of the modern amenities.
Lifestyle in Trinity Bellwoods
The Portugal Village shopping district on Dundas Street between Grace and Markham Streets, caters to the large Portuguese community in the Trinity-Bellwoods neighbourhood. Queen Street is known for its arts flavour and culinary delights. This part of Queen Street includes galleries, antique shops, bookstores, vegetarian restaurants, natural food markets, fashion and accessory stores and a variety of cafes and restaurants. Ossington Avenue has one of the highest concentrations of bars and restaurants in Toronto reflecting the youthful demographic in this neighbourhood. Cafes, coffee shops, art galleries and hip clothing stores complete the picture on Ossington Avenue.
Located at 180 Shaw Street, Artscape Youngplace is a creative community hub and a home to artist studios, event rental spaces, and public lounging areas. This hub features tons of artistic and community programming happening in and around the building every day! Stop by AYP to explore the hallway galleries, grab lunch in the café, hand out in the public lounge spaces and surf the web with free WiFi. Youngplace is open to the public every day of the week from 8am – 8pm, and is fully wheelchair accessible. For more information, please visit http://artscapeyoungplace.ca/
Recreation in Trinity Bellwoods
Trinity-Bellwoods Park is located in the centre of this neighbourhood. The park’s facilities include a children’s playground, a wading pool, sports fields, a baseball diamond, and four tennis courts. There is also an artificial ice rink that is used for pleasure skating, permit hockey, shinny hockey, women’s and girl’s ice hockey, and a hockey school. The Trinity Community Recreation Centre at 155 Crawford Street, has an indoor pool, a gymnasium, a track, and a weight room.
Trinity Bellwoods Park, Photo by Unknown
Transportation in Trinity Bellwoods
Streetcar service on both Bathurst Street and Ossington Avenue provides regular service to the Bloor-Danforth subway. For motorists travelling in and out of the city there is convenient access to both Lake Shore Boulevard and the Gardiner Expressway, which are each approximately a five minute drive from this neighbourhood.
