Joanne Sisco

In A Yorkville State of Mind

In my last post, I traveled downtown to the Ice Fest in Yorkville, but I had an ulterior motive in venturing into this area.

On my list of Toronto heritage buildings, there were several in the Yorkville area that I wanted to check out.  It seemed like the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

The one building I was particularly interested in visiting was Fire Station, 312.

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When it was built in 1878, I’m sure that 5-storey clock tower would have been very impressive to the countryside around it.  Today however it is dwarfed by the city towers that surround it.

Station 312 is one of the oldest fire halls still active in Toronto and quite simply, I think it’s cute as a button.

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The Coat of Arms over the tower door is from the Yorkville Town Hall which was destroyed by fire in 1941.

According to the historic plaque on the building, the symbols on the Coat of Arms represent the occupations of the first councillors of Yorkville – a brewer, a brickmaker, a carpenter, a blacksmith, and a butcher.  The whole thing is rounded off with a beaver on top – Canada’s Official National Animal.

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Yorkville was later annexed into Toronto in 1883 and is now one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in the city.

If you plan to go shopping there, prepare to dig deep.  In a 2015 article, this area was ranked 21st in the world of most expensive shopping destinations.

81 comments

  5. These photos are absolutely stunning, Joanne. I especially love the first photo of the old fire station surrounded by the sky scrappers. The incredible beauty of the fire hall totally causes it to dominant the sky scrappers surrounding it (at least in my mind)!

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  6. I love that you can still find these little gems among the giant towers in the city! Unfortunately, I don’t think my pockets are near deep enough to shop in this area but a fun spot to browse & people watch!

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    • I too feel the same way. I would love to peak back in time and see what a familiar place used to look like.

      Periodically I’ll see an old photo of Toronto and I just can’t reconcile the image to current day.

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  12. I’m not sure what buttons you’ve been frequenting with, Joanne but this fire station has to be far cuter…(unless they were chocolate ones and then as you were) 🙂

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  13. I remember a children’s book I used t read to my sons when they were little, I think it was called the Little House. It was just like this firehouse. Tucked between tall buildings and was finally moved into the countryside where it belonged. What a beautiful sight this little building is.

    Peta

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      • Everything is so clean, too. I visited a site after yours that took me to London. It was so different, though the vintage was about the same. Our area, though beautiful, lacks the pride of cleanliness along the highways and streets. That added to the innate charm of your photos. I also love the way the old is intermingled with the new. Isn’t that amazing that the city kept such a functional place in tact and historical? I’m sure there are more efficient stations. Good on them as the Aussies would say! 🙂 Have a great day Joanne. 🙂

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        • Toronto hasn’t had a great reputation in saving its heritage buildings. Too many of them have been lost to aggressive developers – particularly in the 60s and 70s.
          In the past year alone, there have been 2 significant landmarks that were demolished even while the application to declare the buildings as heritage protected was in process. Shameful!!
          … but admittedly, they are getting better.

          Toronto does work hard to keep clean, but it’s discouraging when all the snow melts in the spring and the discarded garbage is evident along the sides of highways. Today we walked along a ravine trail and the garbage was terrible. It will get cleaned up, but it makes me sad that people are such disgusting pigs.

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          • We don’t have snow to hide it here. Granted it is worst on the freeways. Sometimes I feel like getting out of the car and heading up the hill from the shoulder and start picking up trash. But it is dangerous without support. I should quit blogging long enough to organize a cleanup party of at least one! – Me! 🙂

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  19. That is such a wonderful little building in the midst of the skyscrapers. I love it. I’m so happy that they have chosen to maintain it in such good condition. Thanks for seeking it out and sharing it with us.

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  27. I remember when Yorkville was first trendy, and the word spread as far west as London, Ontario. This was in the early 80’s? It was the place to be. Sounds like it still is, as long as you have deep pockets.

    The firehall is a cutie and deserves your attention!

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