The Four Stunning Layers of the Entertainment District

King Street is perhaps one of Toronto’s most important historical streets, and like many neighbourhoods in Toronto, this area has assumed a number of radically different identities throughout its long history. Beginning as the site of Ontario’s first Parliament, it quickly evolved into a thriving industrial zone until its decline and shift towards one of North America’s most infamous clubbing districts. Today, the neighbourhood has sprouted a number of condo towers, and is home to some of the city’s most important landmarks, sports teams, theatres, and the Steam Whistle Brewery, a far cry from its past political, industrial, and clubbing identities.

King Street, looking west from Yonge - 1866 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

1800s: Ontario’s First Parliament

The neighbourhood can trace its roots back to the period when Toronto was known as the Town of York. One of the main arteries of today’s Entertainment District, King Street, received its name from King George II, the ruler of Great Britain during the period when the Town of York was first founded. At this time, the neighbourhood was home to Ontario’s first Parliament Buildings, located between John Street and Simcoe Street as well as the York General Hospital located on the west side of John. A number of wealthy families also resided in the area before the neighbourhood’s industrial character took root.

Gurney (E. & C.) Stove Manufacturers. North side of King, between Spadina and Brant - 1870 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

By the mid-1800s, King was primarily comprised of buildings belonging to Massey Ferguson, considered to be one of the world’s leading manufacturers of agricultural equipment and one of Toronto’s leading employers. Massey Ferguson’s buildings occupied most of the land along King Street West, including the Upper Canada College located at King and John.

Massey Ferguson building at King and Strachan - 1926 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

1900s: The Garment District

After the Great Fire in 1904, large swaths of Toronto were destroyed, making way for a number of manufacturing facilities to move into the area. During the first half of the 20th century, the stretch of King running between University and Spadina Avenue was known as the Garment District and was home to a number of industries and very few residents. The textile and fashion industries took advantage of the easy access to the railway and harbour to the south, setting up large warehouses and factories in the area.

King Street, looking east towards Simcoe - 1978 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

1960s - 1990s: The Club District   

The industrial boom persisted until the 1970s when Toronto’s textile and garment industries began to wane and leave the neighbourhood. Ed Mirvish Enterprises had begun to buy up some properties in the 1960s, and in the 1980s nightclubs started moving into the neighbourhood’s empty warehouses and factories.

In 1981, Richmond Street became home to the Twilight Zone, Toronto’s first large dance club. Emulating New York City’s underground after-hours club scene, David, Albert, Tony, and Michael Assoon opened the club in one of the district’s empty warehouses, giving Toronto its first taste of house music. It was not long before a number of nightclubs began appearing in the area, catering to Toronto’s rave scene. In the late ‘80s, RPM hosted a number of live radio broadcasts featuring industrial beats, and in 1990, 23 Hop appeared in a warehouse on Richmond Street, then in 1996, Industry opened at King and Strachan hosting a number of international DJs. Other notable clubs in the area include Living Room, Tazmanian Ballroom, System Soundbar, Roxy Blu, and later Circa, each catering to the city’s desire for hip-hop, disco, and house music.

The area soon became one of North America’s largest concentrations of nightclubs, and quickly earned a reputation for rowdiness and violence. However, as Now Magazine points out, the club district also helped revitalize a formerly post-industrial district, kept noise away from residential areas, and discouraged drunk driving through its proximity to public transportation.

It was also during this period that Toronto’s sports teams began to move into the evolving district. In 1989, the SkyDome was built in the former railway yards to the south, and ten years later, the Air Canada Centre opened nearby. Tourists began pouring into the former industrial area as some of Toronto’s largest tourist attractions began to appear. The CN Tower was officially opened in 1976, and the theatre district was beginning to take shape as early as the 1960s.

Royal Alexandra Theatre - 1955 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca

In 1962, the Mirvish family bought the Royal Alexandra Theatre, and after its considerable success, built the Princess of Wales Theatre just down the street in 1993. Roy Thomson Hall opened at King and Simcoe in 1982, becoming the official home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and later in 1999 the Scotiabank Theatre arrived in the neighbourhood followed by the TIFF Bell Lightbox in 2010 (with Daniels’ Festival Tower).

Independent theatres, including the Theatre Passe Muraille, the Factory Theatre, as well as comedy hub Second City also moved into former factories and helped establish Toronto’s Entertainment District as the world’s third-largest centre for English-language theatre (behind London and New York City). Today, the neighbourhood hosts Toronto’s annual Film Festival and is home to Canada’s Walk of Fame, located on King between John and Simcoe.

Mirvish+Gehry Towers - via mirvishandgehrytoronto.com

2000s: The Condo Boom

In the 2000s, the neighbourhood’s reputation as a playground for clubgoers began to shift as the abandoned warehouses and factories became prime real estate for builders and developers looking to build trendy lofts or condominium towers. Toronto’s condo boom has drastically changed the area’s demographics, and the neighbourhood has quickly grown from just 750 residents in 1996 to 7,500 in 2005. The nightclub district’s noise, crowds, and drunken shenanigans quickly became a source of conflict for new residents. A number of Toronto’s infamous dancefloors began to close their doors as pressure from the Alcohol and Gaming Commision, zoning changes, skyrocketing rents, and noise complaints mounted. Now magazine sites the construction of the Ballroom on John as a sign of the Entertainment District’s continued change. The upscale bowling alley marks a shift from the days of noise, crowds, and drunken shenanigans, to a slightly tamer form of nightlife, more in line with the district’s demographic.

Cinema Tower by Daniels - completed

The Entertainment District has also become the centre of Toronto’s growing creative and IT industries. Innovative planning policies and the introduction of mixed-use development have encouraged a number of Toronto’s successful tech companies to adapt and reuse the area’s empty warehouses and establish trendy open-concept loft offices.

In this neighbourhood, the sounds of manufacturing equipment and thumping bass have now been replaced with the hum of construction as condos sprout from the ground year after year. Daniels Festival Tower and Cinema Tower are practically landmarks in the area thanks to their association with the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Mirvish will continue to make waves with the Mirvish+Gehry Towers, planned for the King and John area. Aspen Ridge’s Studio towers are well under construction and Brad Lamb’s Theatre Park is just about complete! That’s only a handful of the condos in the Entertainment District, and there are even more on the horizon!

Feature image: Shaekspeare hotle at King and York - 1868 - via torontopubliclibrary.ca