Elena's Legacy. Texts written by Elena, excerpts from texts she liked, her artworks.: Casa Loma Neighbourhood

Casa Loma Neighbourhood

Casa Loma neighbourhood is a neighbourhood located close to downtown Toronto and named after Casa Loma, the famous castle built on this site. The neighborhood is bounded on the east by Spadina Road, on the north by St. Clair Avenue West, on the south by the CP railway tracks, and on the west by Bathurst Street.

The Casa Loma castle dominates the Avenue Road Hill, surrounded by ravines and nice parks. This castle was constructed in the early 1900s, and its prominence led to a huge boom in the area of the Avenue Road Hill. The Casa Loma neighbourhood was populated then by wealthy residents who defined the site.

History of this site

Directly below the site are the 12,000 year old shorecliffs of the great glacial lake Iroquois, formed during the last Ice age. Twenty-three meters high, this is the deepest part of the old bluffs running through the city, just below St.Clair avenue. All of Toronto below this point was once under water. An Indian trail connecting the Don and Humber Rivers wound its way along the foot of the hill. This shore line eventually became Davenport Road. These steep bluffs hampered the Northward movement of early settlers, but as settlement progressed, much of the shorecliff was tamed, and re-graded. A string of fine homes was built along its crest.

Castle View Avenue. Photograph: Elena

In spite of these changes, the bluffs retained much of their imposing beauty. In 1913, a stairway was built on the Spadina road alignment replacing an earlier wooden stairs. In recent times this site was threatened by a proposal for a Spadina expressway, with a tunnel beginning just below St. Clair Avenue, and exiting out of this hillside into a sweeping interchange. In 1971, the expressway was halted by the organized efforts of local residents, the Toronto transit commission’s Spadina Subway Line was built deep beneath this site in 1980. The land on which the Baldwin steps are located is now owned by the Province of Ontario and was leased back to the City of Toronto in 1984 for 99 years. The present steps were constructed by the city of Toronto in 1987 and were named to commemorate the Baldwin family, whose land this once was.

View from the Spadina Hill toward Toronto downtown.

The Baldwin Family

Looking south, one can see Spadina Road, Laid out by the Baldwin Family as a grand thoroughfare from Queen Street to Davenport Road. William Baldwin (1775 – 1844), physician, lawyer, politician and architect built the first “Spadina” in 1815 and the second in 1835 after the earlier house was destroyed by fire. After William’s death the estate passed to his son Robert Baldwin (1904-1858) one time co-premier of the United Canadas. Both men were leading political figures whose drive for peaceful change brought about major constitutional and administrative reform in government including the implementation of “responsible government” initiated by William Baldwin. The Baldwin steps which led to Casa Loma neighbourhood were opened officially in September 1988.

Spadina and the Austins

The present Spadina Estate at the Crest of this hill, originally comprising 32 heactares of land, was occupied by the Austin family for more that 100 years. James Austin (1813-1897) built his residence in 1866, incorporating the foundations of the earlier Baldwin’s Spadina.

Walmer Street. Photograph: Elena

A prominent businessman and financer, Austin was a founder and first president of the Dominion Bank in 1870. In this capacity he was responsible for the institution of the branch Banking system in Canada. He was also president of the Consumers Gas Company for over two decades, being first elected to that position in 1874. After his death his son Albert W. Austin (1837-1934), also a successful businessman and financer, inherited Spadina. He made alterations and additions to the house and property in 1897-1898, 1903 and 1912-1913 giving the estate its present appearance. In 1928, with the support of his daughter, Mrs. Anna Kathleen Austin Thompson, and her son Austin Seton Thompson, the property was purchased jointly by the city of Toronto and the Ontario heritage Foundation. The restored Spadina was opened to the public in 1964 as a historic house Museum illustrating the life-style of four generations of one family. It is operated by the Toronto historical board.