Sunday, January 8, 2012

Corktown Neighbourhood Central Toronto

By Heather Hadden


Corktown is the 1st community of its kind to be conceived in the heart of Toronto; it's also one of its most historic neighbourhoods. In the early 1960s, a great part of Corktown was demolished to make room for several elevated roadways. Among the most important houses destroyed was the House of Prudence (1857"1962), an institution run by the Sisters of St. Joseph to look after orphans and the aged poor.

Re-energizing

So many remarkable transformations are currently happening in Corktown this once determinedly working-class community seems ordained to further increase its fresh acceptance. First comes the rebirth of the Distillery District project to the southeast, with its Gooderham and Worts Distillery condos and lofts welcoming hoards of new residents to the area.

Mooching around Corktown, you may also see the multi-year mega project targeted at reshaping Regent Park to the north as well as reintegrating the community with the remainder of the city. On unused land along the banks of the Don River at the east end of Corktown, you'll recognize the enormous West Don Development project. It is surmised that this project will bring thousands of extra residents to this central area and may completely revitalize its spirit.

Real Estate

Corktown is extremely convenient to Toronto's core business and entertainment districts; as a result, new zoning bylaws have spawned the conversion of many Corktown business properties into live-in work studios, condominium studios and pro offices. This change also incited a demographic swap from blue to white collar.

Some of the oldest Victorian houses in Toronto can be discovered in Corktown, and accept it or not, many of those date back to the mid 1850s and 1860s. They were known as "workers ' cottages" and can be discovered on the narrow laneways that are hidden away off Corktown's main streets.




About the Author:



No comments: