Baldwin Village is a commercial enclave in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. It is located in the west of downtown Toronto, within the Grange Park neighbourhood, one block north of

Dundas Street West Dundas Street is a major historic arterial road in Ontario, Canada. The road connects the city of Toronto with its western suburbs and several cities in southwestern Ontario. Three provincial highways— 2, 5, and 99—followed long sections ...

, between Beverley and McCaul Streets. The former modestly sized homes on the street have been converted to restaurants and small shops selling arts, crafts and curios.

History

The street was laid out and named after

William Warren Baldwin William Warren Baldwin (April 25, 1775 – January 8, 1844) was a doctor, businessman, lawyer, judge, architect and reform politician in Upper Canada. He, and his son Robert Baldwin, are recognized for having introduced the concept of "respon ...

, who owned much of the area, in the early nineteenth century. The neighbourhood developed in the early 20th century as the Jewish ghetto moved westward from its original location in The Ward towards what became the

Kensington Market Kensington Market is a distinctive multicultural neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Market is an older neighbourhood and one of the city's most well-known. In November 2006, it was designated a National Historic Site of Canad ...

Jewish community, and the strip became home to a number of Jewish stores and restaurants. As the Jewish community moved north from downtown, the area's proximity to

Chinatown A Chinatown () is an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa and Austra ...

led it to be populated by Chinese-Canadians. Also close to the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

and surrounded by the area known as the "Student Ghetto" it also became a centre for the 1960s youth movements. Most notably it was the central location for

draft dodgers Draft evasion is any successful attempt to elude a government-imposed obligation to serve in the military forces of one's nation. Sometimes draft evasion involves refusing to comply with the military draft laws of one's nation. Illegal draft ev ...

from the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

in Toronto. The draft dodgers converted a number of homes to shops catering to the new community. In 1978 the first cafe on the block opened, and since then the area has become one of the best known restaurant districts in Toronto. Mandel's Creamery at 29 Baldwin Street, the last remnant of the block's Jewish heritage, closed in 1995 after 90 years of operation, though the Yiddish lettering on its window has been preserved by the John's Italian Caffe, the neighbouring establishment at 27 Baldwin which expanded into the Mandel's former property. John's Italian Caffe, in turn, closed in 2014. An effort to preserve the window was launched by the Ontario Jewish Archives after the establishment was sold in 2015 to new owners who intend to open a

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

ese style tea shop.

Concerts

A series of street concerts and performances beginning with street closings in 2007, took place on July 15, August 19, and September 16th, following the Car Free Streets of Pedestrian Sundays.

References

{{authority control Neighbourhoods in Toronto