The mixed residential and commercial blocks that run along Spadina Avenue, from College Street to Dundas Street and more intermittently toward Queen Street date back to the 19th century (1850s -1890s). They are a local example of an old and universal type that crystallized in the Renaissance, when merchants built residences above their establishments, each battling for a slice of street frontage to advertise their wares and services. The Spadina facades are in various states of disrepair today, with instances of Victorian brick detailing concealed under flashings or entire facades plastered over. Despite the disrepair and a street smelling at best of fish from the daily offcasts of the Chinese restaurants that inhabit many of the commercial spaces, the Spadina Avenue neighbourhood is a vital and thriving place, much loved by its inhabitants.

The “Spadina Blocks” form this neighbourhood by creating a “wall” on either side of Spadina Avenue, between which a public space is formed. This space creates a concentrated micro-environment, which is able to absorb enriching stimuli from the immediate context: the University of Toronto, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Ontario College of Art and Design, Little Italy, Kensington Market and the city’s downtown are all nearby. This is achieved by a series of devices fundamental to this building type: continuous street frontage, entrances to residences from the front facade, the arcade-like atmosphere resulting from commercial signage, and the ability to concentrate a density of people and amenities. Although the building type contributes to the creation of a quality public space, it also relies heavily on the nature of its context to do so. In this instance, Spadina Avenue plays an important role. It was laid out in 1834 by Dr William Baldwin as a grand, 132-foot-wide avenue (twice the usual street allowance), running from Queen Street to Bloor Street. At the time, a sweep of indiscriminate private-enterprise development was taking place across Toronto, without much public ordering or design and Spadina Avenue was one of the few examples of generous and conscious planning. Spadina Avenue also served as an important streetcar route in 19th century for bringing suburban residents into the downtown area, before commuter train lines were developed. And it remains an important public transportation route.

As Toronto industrialized and prospered in the latter part of the 19th century, it faced the issue of providing housing for its rising population, as the city drew increasing numbers of factory labour and service workers, as well as an influx of immigrants. From the beginning, right up to the present, the Spadina Blocks have housed successive waves of Irish, Jewish, Hungarian, Portuguese, West Indian, and Chinese immigrants. Over time, the residential components of the blocks have undergone intense manipulations, such as the splitting and recombination of apartments, the conversion and reconversion of rooms to serve different functions, the continual upgrading of services, and the swapping of uses from residential to commercial.

The neighbourhood was considered a slum in the 1960s and threatened by renewal, but withstood the pressure. Resilience and adaptability are part of the history of this site, but they are also an important capability of this building type. Today the neighbourhood is again in transition, as it changes from Old Chinatown to a multicultural community of students, refugees from the suburbs, artists, and young professionals.

Marsha Kelmans