downtown
''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ...
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 anch ...
,
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
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by to ...
. The South Core occupies the eastern portions of the
Railway Lands
Railway Lands is an area in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally a large railway switching yard near the Toronto waterfront, including the CNR Spadina Roundhouse and the CPR John Roundhouse, it has since been redeveloped and today is hom ...
. The remodeling and restoration of Union Station and the construction of a new wave of business and condominium towers is central to this area's forecast growth.
"Forecasters expect the downtown population to grow 80 per cent to 130,000 by 2031. With the financial district just to the north and the new high-rise South Core on the other side, Union is right at the centre."
The area has grown rapidly in the last several years. Toronto's
Gardiner Expressway
The Frederick G. Gardiner Expressway, commonly known as the Gardiner Expressway or simply the Gardiner, is a partially at grade and elevated municipal expressway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running close to the shore of Lake Ontario, it extends ...
is currently being rebuilt to provide a new one-acre park in the area. Two ramps to the expressway at York and Bay streets are being removed to make room for the park.
History
The South Core was once part Toronto Harbour and now lies on land fill done from the 1850s to 1920s to accommodate railway lines. From the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s, the Gardiner Expressway was erected, cutting off much of the city from the
Toronto waterfront
The Toronto waterfront is the lakeshore of Lake Ontario in the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It spans 46 kilometres between the mouth of Etobicoke Creek in the west and the Rouge River in the east.
History
Lake Ontario is a recent lake. ...
as rings of highways were built around many North American cities as was the trend at the time.
In previous decades, much of the land was unusable due to its designation as rail lands. Today, that stigma is gone as multiple business and condominium towers have risen and more continue to be built. The name South Core derives from ''south'' of the downtown (or financial) ''core'' of the city.
Location
The district is bounded on its western side by Lower Simcoe Street, its eastern side by Lower
Jarvis Street
Jarvis Street is a north-south thoroughfare in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, passing through some of the oldest developed areas in the city. Its alignment extends from Queens Quay East in the south to Bloor Street in the north. The segment ...
, its northern side by the railway tracks and southern side by
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 sp ...
. Union Station lies within the district as well.
The area is a re-imagining of portions of the
Railway Lands
Railway Lands is an area in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally a large railway switching yard near the Toronto waterfront, including the CNR Spadina Roundhouse and the CPR John Roundhouse, it has since been redeveloped and today is hom ...
and is connected to the city through the extensive PATH network of underground walkways connecting Union Station,
Scotiabank Arena
Scotiabank Arena (French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Rapt ...
and other notable landmarks.
"But in the past few years, something remarkable and unexpected has happened. The barrier effect, once considered permanent, has faded away. Development has jumped over the railway tracks to create a teeming new district becoming known as the South Core. Office and condominium towers are nudging right up to the Gardiner, clustering both north and south of Fred Gardiner’s elevated behemoth."
Amenities and notable buildings
In October 2013,
Delta Hotels
Delta Hotels by Marriott is a four-star brand of hotels and resorts located primarily in North America.
Canadian institution Beginnings
In June 1962, William Pattison and his business partners opened the 68-room Delport Inn in Richmond, BC. Tha ...
announced a new flagship hotel central to South Core.
Maple Leaf Square, a multi-use complex and public square next to
Scotiabank Arena
Scotiabank Arena (French: ''Aréna Scotiabank)'', formerly known as Air Canada Centre (ACC), is a multi-purposed arena located on Bay Street in the South Core district of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the home of the Toronto Rapt ...
, sometimes plays host to live broadcasts of sporting events on the video screen facing Bremner Boulevard. Real Sports Bar & Grill, one of North America's largest sports bars, is located inside Maple Leaf Square.
The
Telus Tower
Telus Harbour, formerly Telus House, formerly Union Tower, is a 30- storey office skyscraper at 25 York Street, on the south side of the traditionally defined financial district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Anchor tenant Telus will occupy 60 ...
Harbour Plaza
Harbour Plaza Residences is a mixed-use development in the South Core district of Toronto, Ontario. It consists of 63- and 67-storey condominium towers and 200,000 square feet of retail space. Harbour Plaza's soaring towers are anchored by ...
is a new condominium project being built at York Street and was supposed to have
Target Canada
Target Canada Co. was the Canadian subsidiary of the Target Corporation, the eighth-largest retailer in the United States. Formerly headquartered in Mississauga, Ontario, the subsidiary was formed with the acquisition of Zellers store leases f ...
as the major tenant, but Target has pulled out of the Canadian market, leaving the space without a tenant.
Sugar Wharf
Sugar Wharf is a mixed-use development currently under construction at Queens Quay East, across the street from the Redpath Sugar Refinery, in Toronto, Ontario. It will contain five high-rise condo towers ranging in height from 64 to 90 storeys ...
is a mixed use development under construction.
Other notable buildings in the area include:
* Loblaws supermarket and LCBO headquarters are located on the east end of SoCo.
* Queen's Quay Terminal
*
The Power Plant
The Power Plant Contemporary Art Gallery is a Canadian non-collecting public contemporary art gallery located at the heart of Toronto, Ontario at the Harbourfront Centre. It is a registered Canadian charitable organization supported by its mem ...
Toronto Harbour Commission Building
The Toronto Harbour Commission Building is a six-storey building erected in 1917 in Toronto by Alfred Chapman for the locally run Toronto Harbour Commission. It was also used by its successor agency PortsToronto, a federal agency formerly known ...
(THC)
* Toronto Transportation Commission's Harbour Yard located on the south side of Lake Shore Boulevard from Bay to York Streets was used to store streetcars from 1951 to 1954. It is now the site of Waterpark Place office towers and parking lot.
* Ten York
Waterfront Trail
Stretching over 3600 km (2236 miles) from Prince Township, west of Sault Ste. Marie, to the Quebec border, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is a signed route of interconnecting roads and off-road trails joining over 150 communities and First Na ...
through 85 Harbour Street (also known as Waterpark Place III)
Union Station is one of the busiest commuter hubs in Canada and sees tens of thousands of commuters pass through every day.
The Metrolinx
Union Pearson Express
The Union Pearson Express (UP Express or UPX) is an airport rail link connecting Union Station in Downtown Toronto to Toronto Pearson International Airport. The UP Express began operation on 6 June 2015, in time for the 2015 Pan American Games. ...
provides transportation between Toronto Pearson airport and Union Station by rail.
Union Station Bus Terminal
The Union Station Bus Terminal is the central intercity bus terminal in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Downtown Toronto on the second floor of the south tower of CIBC Square, on the northeast corner of Bay Street and Lake Shore Bo ...
is also located within the South Core and provides transit connections from the area to the rest of the
Greater Toronto Area
The Greater Toronto Area, commonly referred to as the GTA, includes the City of Toronto and the regional municipalities of Durham, Halton, Peel, and York. In total, the region contains 25 urban, suburban, and rural municipalities. The Greater ...
Waterfront Trail
Stretching over 3600 km (2236 miles) from Prince Township, west of Sault Ste. Marie, to the Quebec border, the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail is a signed route of interconnecting roads and off-road trails joining over 150 communities and First Na ...