Bathurst Street is a main north–south thoroughfare in
Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It begins at an intersection of the
Queens Quay roadway, just north of the
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north, west, and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south and east by the U.S. state of New York. The Canada–United States border span ...
shoreline. It continues north through Toronto to the Toronto boundary at
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of Regional Municipality of York, York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area from ...
. It is a four-lane thoroughfare throughout Toronto. The roadway continues north into
York Region
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...
where it is known as York Regional Road 38.
Route description
Bathurst Street begins in the south at the intersection with Queens Quay. The southernmost part of Bathurst, south of the
Gardiner Expressway, was heavily industrialized until the 1970s. These factories are now gone; in their place, some residential development has occurred, including the extended Queen's Quay. The former
Omni Television
Omni Television (stylized as OMNI Television) is a Canadian television system and specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media, a subsidiary of Rogers Communications. It currently consists of all six of Canada's conventional multicultur ...
headquarters are in this area, before they relocated in October 2008 but Rogers Media still owns the building. South of the intersection, Eireann Quay, which used to be a section of Bathurst Street, runs south to the
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...
ferry dock and the Western Gap channel which separates the Toronto Islands from the Toronto mainland.
North of the Gardiner is
Fort York
Fort York (french: Fort-York) is an early 19th-century military fortification in the Fort York neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The fort was used to house members of the British and Canadian militaries, and to defend the entrance of ...
on the western side. The
Sir Isaac Brock Bridge connects the section south of Fort York to the section north of the railways. The bridge was relocated here in 1916. It had been used as a railway bridge over the
Humber River. North of the tracks, the area is a mix of small commercial and residential buildings on the western fringe of downtown. North of Queen Street, the eastern side of Bathurst is the edge of the Alexandria Park cluster of housing projects, while to the west is
Trinity–Bellwoods
Trinity-Bellwoods is an inner city neighbourhood in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is bounded on the east by Bathurst Street, on the north by College Street, on the south by Queen Street West, and by Dovercourt Road on the west. It has a large Po ...
. North of
Dundas Street, Bathurst is dominated by
Toronto Western Hospital
The Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) is a major research and teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the University Health Network (UHN). It has 256 beds, with 46,000 visits to its emergency department annually. It is known f ...
. This part of the street continues to be a mix of small commercial establishments and residential housing, generally rental apartments.
North of
College Street, Bathurst becomes more residential, with the exception of certain areas, chiefly around the intersections with
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...
,
St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road (the Third Concession), north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street.
St. Clair Avenue ...
, and
Eglinton Avenue. The portion of Bathurst Street north of Bloor Street is the western boundary of
The Annex
The Annex is a neighbourhood in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The traditional boundaries of the neighbourhood are north to Dupont Street, south to Bloor Street, west to Bathurst Street and east to Avenue Road. The City of Toronto recogniz ...
neighbourhood.
The University segment of
Toronto Transit Commission (TTC)
Line 1 Yonge–University crosses underneath Bathurst north of St. Clair, with the St. Clair West station at St. Clair just east of Bathurst. North of Eglinton, the street continues as a four-lane arterial road into the former borough of North York. The street has lay-bys for TTC buses and turning lanes at intersections, expanding its width. Development along both sides of the road is both residential and commercial, with shopping plazas at many intersections. The West Branch of the Don River crosses Bathurst Street north of Sheppard and Bathurst Park (Hinder Property) is on the east side of Bathurst Street.
North of
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of Regional Municipality of York, York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area from ...
, Bathurst runs through
York Region
The Regional Municipality of York, also called York Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, between Lake Simcoe and Toronto. The region was established after the passing of then Bill 102, An Act to Establish The Regional M ...
, and is also referred to as York Regional Road 38. At Steeles, Bathurst widens to become a six-lane arterial road. Bathurst Street loses 2 lanes as it passes the CN York subdivision. At Centre Street, it gains two centre bus lanes, used by
VIVA Orange
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
...
, which continues until Highway 7. Bathurst also widens to 6 lanes from the Highway 407 bridge before going back to 4 lanes at Autumn Hill Boulevard. Bathurst is flanked by residential subdivisions on both sides from Steeles until Elgin Mills, where then only the eastern side has residential, forming an urban-rural fringe. Bathurst continues this way for 20 km until meeting Green Lane, where it loses 2 lanes and is flanked by rural land instead. After meeting Highway 11 (York Regional Road 1), Bathurst Streets jogs for a bit until it enters Holland Landing, where it becomes a residential road. Bathurst Street loses its Regional Road status after Queensville Sideroad, where it enters the Holland Marsh. It serves as the boundary between
Vaughan and Richmond Hill north of
Highway 407
The following highways are numbered 407:
Canada
* Manitoba Provincial Road 407
* Newfoundland and Labrador Route 407
* Ontario Highway 407
King's Highway 407, commonly referred to as Highway 407 and colloquially as the "four-oh-seven", is a ...
, and between
King Township and
Newmarket and
Aurora
An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...
.
Bathurst Street ends at the
Holland Marsh
The Holland Marsh is a wetland and agricultural area in Ontario, Canada, about north of Toronto. It lies entirely within the valley of the Holland River, stretching from the northern edge of the Oak Ridges Moraine near Schomberg to the river mo ...
, between
Holland Landing (in
East Gwillimbury) and
Bradford
Bradford is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Bradford district in West Yorkshire, England. The city is in the Pennines' eastern foothills on the banks of the Bradford Beck. Bradford had a population of 349,561 at the 2011 ...
, with the section north of Queensville Sideroad being maintained by the Town of East Gwillimbury. It was formerly interrupted for roughly 500 m due to rugged terrain north of Morning Sideroad, north of
Newmarket, but the gap was closed in 2016 when a new link was completed, allowing traffic to access York Regional Road 1 (the former
Highway 11) from the sousecth. Beyond a marina on the
Holland River
The Holland River is a river in Ontario, Canada, that drains the Holland River watershed into Cook's Bay, the southern extremity of Lake Simcoe. The river flows generally north, and its headwaters lie in the Oak Ridges Moraine. The Holland Ri ...
, it continues as a private driveway to a property along the Holland Marsh.
Old Bathurst Street runs north of St John's Sideroad to 19th Sideroad where Bathurst Street was re-routed. Another un-signed road continues slightly east from 19th Sideroad into Koffler Scientific Reserve and intersects with the current section of Bathurst south of Sykes Road.
History
The street was named for
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst
Henry Bathurst, 3rd Earl Bathurst, (22 May 176227 July 1834) was a High Tory, High Church Pittite. He was an MP for thirty years before ennoblement. A personal friend of William Pitt the Younger, he became a broker of deals across cabinet fact ...
, who organized migration from the British Isles to Canada after the War of 1812, granted the charter to
King's College King's College or The King's College refers to two higher education institutions in the United Kingdom:
*King's College, Cambridge, a constituent of the University of Cambridge
*King's College London, a constituent of the University of London
It ca ...
, and never visited Canada.
The original Bathurst Street was between Government Wharf and
Queen Street, and the section to the north was called Crookshank's Lane, a semi-private lane named after George Crookshank. The intersection with Davenport was the site of Toll Gate #3 along Davenport. The tollkeeper's cottage, which was built in 1835, still exists, restored to its original appearance and is located at the north-west corner of the intersection. In 1870, Crookshank's Lane was renamed "Bathurst Street". North of Bloor, Bathurst Street was a muddy trail.
Prior to the late 1980s, the section of Bathurst St. between Centre Street and
Langstaff Road/York Regional Road 7 (the latter formerly
Highway 7), was a part of Highway 7, which followed it as the highway jogged between
concession roads. The jog along Bathurst was eliminated when a diagonal connector was built to the west to join the two sections of the highway as a single roadway.
Bathurst Street has finished in the top 10 in
Canadian Automobile Association
The Canadian Automobile Association (CAA; french: Association canadienne des automobilistes) is a federation of eight regional not-for-profit automobile associations in Canada, founded in 1913. The constituent associations (also called "clubs" ...
's "Ontario's Worst Roads" poll in every year from 2004 to 2007.
Jewish community
Bathurst Street has been the heart of the
Jewish community of Toronto
Toronto's Jewish community is the most populous and one of the oldest in the country, forming a significant part of the history of the Jews in Canada. It numbered about 165,000 in the 2001 census, having overtaken Montreal in the 1970s. As of 20 ...
for decades. From the early part of the twentieth century, many Jews lived around Bathurst Street south of Bloor Street east to
Spadina Avenue
Spadina Avenue (, less commonly ) is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.
Spadina Avenue runs south ...
(and particularly
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 Ca ...
) and west to past
Christie Pits
Christie Pits (officially Willowvale Park until 1983) is a public recreational area in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located at 750 Bloor Street West at Christie Street, just west of the Toronto Transit Commission's Christie subway station.
T ...
. After World War II, as the community became more middle class, it moved north along Bathurst Street, with wealthier members of the community moving to
Forest Hill. Some other members moved to the area around Bathurst and
St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road (the Third Concession), north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street.
St. Clair Avenue ...
or Bathurst and
Eglinton Avenue.
The community continued to move north along Bathurst and today, much of the Jewish community resides along the street from north of
St. Clair Avenue
St. Clair Avenue is a major east-west street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was laid out in the late 18th century by the British as a concession road (the Third Concession), north of Bloor Street and north of Queen Street.
St. Clair Avenue ...
and, in higher concentrations just south of
Lawrence Avenue
Lawrence Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is divided into east and west portions (Lawrence Avenue East and Lawrence Avenue West) by Yonge Street, the dividing line of east-west streets in Toronto.
Route de ...
to beyond the city limits at Steeles Avenue, and extending further until about
Elgin Mills Road in
Richmond Hill. Many
synagogues and other Jewish community institutions are on Bathurst.
The northern stretch of Bathurst, north of
Sheppard Avenue
Sheppard Avenue is an east–west principal arterial road in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street has two distinct branches near its eastern end, with the original route being a collector road leading to Pickering via a turnoff, and the main ...
West, has become one of the centres of Toronto's Russian community. Many Russian Jewish immigrants began to settle in the area's apartment buildings (many are around the Bathurst/Sheppard intersection, and along Bathurst between
Finch Avenue West and Steeles Avenue West), starting from early 1970s to get easier access to services provided by the
Jewish Immigrant Aid Society. After the breakup of the
Soviet Union, many Russian immigrants to Canada settled there. Many are affiliated with the Jewish Russian Community Centre. The electoral district of
York Centre
York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...
, which includes Bathurst from Wilson Ave. to Steeles Ave. West, has the largest number of
Russian Canadian
Russian Canadians comprise Canadian citizens of Russian heritage or Russians who immigrated to and reside in Canada. According to the 2016 Census, there were 622,445 Canadians who claimed full or partial Russian ancestry. The areas of Canada w ...
voters in Canada. Numerous Russian delicatessens, restaurants, and book and clothing stores have earned the neighborhood the unofficial moniker "Little Moscow".
Public transit
Bathurst Station is a
Toronto Transit Commission subway station at Bathurst Street and
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...
along
Line 2 Bloor–Danforth. The
511 Bathurst
The 511 Bathurst is a Toronto streetcar route operated by the Toronto Transit Commission in Ontario, Canada.
Route
The 511 Bathurst operates between Bathurst station and Exhibition Loop north–south along Bathurst Street in mixed traffic, ...
streetcar route runs from Bloor to Fleet Street, where it turns to connect to
Exhibition Place.
North of Bathurst Station, public transit is provided by two bus routes: route 7 Bathurst from Bathurst Station up to
Steeles Avenue
Steeles Avenue is an east–west street that forms the northern city limit of Toronto and the southern limit of Regional Municipality of York, York Region in Ontario, Canada. It stretches across the western and central Greater Toronto Area from ...
West, and 160 Bathurst North from
Wilson Avenue
Wilson may refer to:
People
*Wilson (name)
** List of people with given name Wilson
** List of people with surname Wilson
* Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender
* Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson R ...
up to New Westminster Drive and Atkinson Avenue in
Vaughan. During overnight hours when the subway is closed, the bus route 307 Bathurst
Blue Night covers the entire length of Bathurst within the city of Toronto.
Within Vaughan,
York Region Transit
York Region Transit (YRT) is the public transit operator in York Region, Ontario, Canada. Its headquarters are in Richmond Hill, at 50 High Tech Road.
YRT operates 65 full-time, rush hour and limited routes, 35 school services, and six Viva ...
runs several routes along Bathurst Street, including the 88 Bathurst from
Finch Bus Terminal to
Seneca College King Campus,
part of
Viva Orange
Viva may refer to:
Companies and organisations
* Viva (network operator), a Dominican mobile network operator
* Viva Air, a Spanish airline taken over by flag carrier Iberia
* Viva Air Dominicana
* VIVA Bahrain, a telecommunication company
...
, and other connections at the
Promenade Terminal
Promenade, officially Promenade Shopping Centre or Promenade Mall, is a major shopping centre located in Vaughan, Ontario, Canada. The mall has over 150 tenants, and is anchored by T&T Supermarket and Imagine Cinemas.
History
The mall opened ...
.
Points of interest
For many years, the most notable attraction on Bathurst Street was the now-demolished bargain goods emporium
Honest Ed's
Honest Ed's was a landmark discount store in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was named for its proprietor, Ed Mirvish, who opened the store in 1948 and oversaw its operations for almost 60 years until his death in 2007. The store continued to operat ...
at
Bloor Street
Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkw ...
. Other landmarks along Bathurst include:
*
Toronto Island Airport
Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is a regional airport located on the Toronto Islands in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is often referred to as Toronto Island Airport and was previously known as ''Port George VI Island Airport'' and ''Toronto ...
Ferry Terminal
* Bathurst Bowlerama (demolished)
* Bathurst Glen Golf Course
*
Bathurst Station
*
Sir Isaac Brock Bridge
*
Bathurst Street Theatre
The Randolph Theatre (formerly the Bathurst Street Theatre) is a 518 seat theatre in Toronto, Ontario, that is housed in a former church. The Gothic revival building is located at 736 Bathurst Street at the intersection with Lennox Street. The th ...
* The Tollkeeper's Cottage
*
Baycrest Geriatric Centre
*
Cedarvale Park
Cedarvale Park is a municipal park located at 181-185 Main St. S. Georgetown, Ontario—a short walk from downtown. It is a multi-use facility, open year-round.
Facilities
* Official Size Soccer Field
* Four Mini Soccer Fields
* Toboggan Hills
...
*
Central Technical School
Central Technical School (CTS or Central Tech) is a Canadian composite high school in Toronto, Ontario. The school is run by the Toronto District School Board (TDSB); before 1998, it was run by the Toronto Board of Education (TBE).
Central T ...
* Cineforum
*
College Street United Church
College Street United Church is a United Church of Canada church at the corner of College Street (Toronto), College and Bathurst Street, Toronto, Bathurst Streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As of 1990 the church is part of the same structure as ...
*
Earl Bales Park
Earl Bales Park is a large park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The West Don River runs through it.
History
The park was built on farm land owned by John Bales, which later became York Downs Golf and Country Club in 1922. The land was saved from d ...
* École Secondaire Catholique Renaissance
*
Esther Shiner Stadium
Esther Shiner Stadium is a multi-purpose outdoor sports facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the former city of North York, on the north-west corner of Bathurst Street and Finch Avenue West. Its capacity is 3,00and is currently ...
* The Hemmingway Apartments. From 1923 to 1924, novelist
Ernest Hemingway rented an apartment on Bathurst Street north of St. Clair Avenue while employed as a reporter for the ''
Toronto Star''. A historic plaque was placed on the building by the
Toronto Historical Board Heritage Toronto is an agency of the Municipal Government of Toronto that works to builds a better city by bringing people together to explore Toronto’s shared past and peoples’ lived experiences. It is located in St. Lawrence Hall in the city. ...
.
*
Lawrence Manor
*
Lawrence Plaza
*
Little Norway Park
Little Norway Park is a small park in the Harbourfront area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, at the southwest corner of Bathurst Street and Queens Quay West. The park is just north of the Western Channel into Toronto Harbour.
*
North York Branson Hospital
* Richmond Hill Golf Club
*
Sarah and Chaim Neuberger Holocaust Education Centre
*
St. Clair West Station
St. Clair West is a subway station on Line 1 Yonge–University in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans the block north of St. Clair Avenue West to Heath Street, between Bathurst Street and Tweedsmuir Avenue. The station serves the local communit ...
*
St. Michael's College School
*
Promenade Shopping Centre
*
Toronto Waldorf School
*
Toronto Western Hospital
The Toronto Western Hospital (TWH) is a major research and teaching hospital in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the University Health Network (UHN). It has 256 beds, with 46,000 visits to its emergency department annually. It is known f ...
*
Toronto Transit Commission -
Hillcrest Complex
* Raoul Wallenberg Road
*
Westmount Collegiate Institute
Westmount Collegiate Institute is a high school in the Thornhill, Ontario district of the greater city of Vaughan, Ontario, Vaughan. It opened its doors in 1996, as part of the multi-purpose campus now known as the Jean Augustine Complex, named f ...
References
External links
Bathurst Streetat
Google Maps
{{coord, 43.6742, N, 79.4147, W, display=title
Aurora, Ontario
East Gwillimbury
Transport in King, Ontario
Roads in Toronto
Transport in Newmarket, Ontario
Transport in Richmond Hill, Ontario
Transport in Vaughan
38
Jews and Judaism in Toronto
Jewish Canadian history
Jewish communities in Canada
Orthodox Jewish communities
Orthodox Judaism in Canada