How did Chinatown Come To Be?

Many of the neighbourhoods in Toronto have worn several hats throughout the city’s history. Yorkville was formerly a bohemian neighbourhood and popular hangout for some of Canada’s greatest talent (including Joni Mitchell and Neil Young). Kensington Market used to be a landing pad for Jewish immigrants, while the Junction was home to Canada’s largest livestock market before it evolved into a trendy Toronto haunt. Similarly, Toronto’s Chinatown has seen some dramatic changes over the last 125 years, growing into one of the city’s most popular and lively neighbourhoods and tourist attractions.

Mr. Lee Hong's Laundry - 1912 - via www1.toronto.ca

The Old Chinatown

Before evolving into the loud and bustling collection of restaurants, bakeries, grocery stores, and discount stores centered around Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West, the city’s first Chinatown was located several blocks to the east. The first Chinese enclave was established in the 1890s in an impoverished neighbourhood stretching along Elizabeth Street between Queen Street West and Dundas Street West. The first recorded resident of Chinese origin listed in the city directory was Sam Ching, the owner of a laundry business at 9 Adelaide Street West in 1878. Ching remains an important part of Toronto’s heritage, and is now commemorated with a lane named after him.

City assessment rolls also show that in 1911, Mr. Gip Kan Mark was the first Chinese man to own property in Toronto. He worked as a wholesale grocer and occupied the first floor of a three-storey building in the heart of the original Chinatown on Elizabeth Street. Despite some restrictions, the original Chinatown continued to take shape as Chinese workers settled in Toronto after being involved in the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway. These immigrants made a home for themselves in the city, opening small businesses. Census data reveals that by the 1940s, Toronto’s Chinatown population was the third largest in North America after Victoria and Vancouver.

Chop Suey House and Sang hong Sang grocery store at 60-64 Elizabeth St. -1958 - via www1.toronto.ca

This flourishing community was soon home to a number of great restaurants, clubs, casinos, operas, theatres, grand celebrations and a hub for civic activity. In addition to the annual Chinese New Year celebrations, members of Chinatown came together in large numbers on several occasions. In 1912, 1,500 members of the Chinese community gathered at Victoria Hall to celebrate the fall of dynastic rule and the founding of the Republic of China. These celebrations were followed by a procession through downtown Toronto which was attended by Toronto Mayor George Geary. Later, in 1925 when the founder of the Chinese Republic, Sun Yat-sen, passed away, thousands of Chinese people filled the streets as they marched to a funeral service at Victoria Hall.

Opera at Chinese Freemasons' Hall - 1945 - via www1.toronto.ca

The community was home to the Chinese United Dramatic Society, the first Chinese music group in Toronto. The Society built a 250-seat hall on Elizabeth and invited musicians from Hong Kong and Guangzhou to come to Toronto and train local amateurs. These projects and events hint at Toronto’s diverse history and the city’s multicultural character.

In the 1950s, the City of Toronto began planning the new Toronto City Hall at the intersection of Queen and Bay, in the heart of Toronto’s original Chinatown. The new civic centre was intended to stimulate development and attract investment to the downtown area. As a result, many of the Chinese businesses and residences in the original Chinatown were demolished to make way for a new building to house the city’s officials and councillors. In response, Jean Lumb established the “Save Chinatown Committee” and coordinated a campaign to preserve the shops and residences in the area. Lumb later won the order of Canada in 1976 for her commitment to the community and role in helping to preserve Toronto’s Chinatown.

Street festival at Dragon Mall, south of Dundas - 1971 - via www1.toronto.ca

As land prices skyrocketed around the new City Hall, the remnants of the Chinese community began migrating towards Chinatown’s current location at Spadina Avenue and Dundas Street West. It was also at this time that Canada lifted the repressive Chinese Exclusion Act, welcoming a wave of students and skilled workers into Canada, many choosing to settle in Toronto’s Chinatown.

The New Chinatown

Chinatown as we know it today inhabits Dundas Street West and Spadina Avenue, sitting just West of Toronto’s city centre. The neighbourhood was settled by the families and wives of the railway builders and refugees arriving after the end of the Vietnam war in 1975. This influx of Chinese immigrants contributed to the re-establishment of Chinatown and served as the foundation of the bustling community that exists today.

Chinatown Festival - 2013 - via chinatownbia.com

As the neighbourhood flourished, the city installed bilingual street signs in both English and Chinese, and eliminated the “Blue Laws” that prohibited stores from operating on Sundays to accommodate the cultural customs of the Chinese community. The City of Toronto now pays homage to those who worked to establish and preserve this cultural enclave through a number of memorials in the city. The Memorial to Commemorate the Chinese Railway Workers in Canada currently sits at the intersection of Blue Jays Way and Navy Street. And in 2007, Heritage Toronto commemorated the original Chinatown with a plaque in Nathan Phillips Square.

Memorial to commemorate Chinese railroad workers - via spacing.com - photo by Shaun Merritt

Chinatown is now seeing a new wave of residential development. Ideal Developments is building Dragon Condos, a 10-storey modern condominium located in the heart of Chinatown at Spadina and Dundas. The rooftop patio gives residents a sweeping view of the bustling neighbourhood and each unit comes with a bicycle and indoor bicycle parking space to help residents connect and experience the historic neighbourhood.

Dragon Condos groundbreaking

Vogue magazine recently named the Queen West neighbourhood as the second coolest in the world, which makes Plaza’s 170 Spadina development just north of Queen very exciting. As new residents are drawn to the neighbourhood’s vibrant street life, excellent dining opportunities, and unique shopping, Chinatown will continue to make history.