Good morning, good evening, and good afternoon.
This music lets you know that we are taking a trip back in time and we're going back to the 1800s.
And what we're doing today is doing a look back at the history of the Riverdale area in Toronto.
This area is a rich and multifaceted area.
We're going to be reflecting the growth and transformation of the city over many centuries.
A big part of this podcast is the addition of the actual residents of this area
and the histories of their homes.
I'm very excited to add that interview to this podcast. It's the first time
I've ever done it. I do hope you enjoy it.
And I hope there's many, many more of you who will join me in future episodes.
But for now, let's get started with the history of Riverdale.
Riverdale's history traces back to the late 18th century, where the area was just a rural community.
During this time, the Don River played a crucial role in its initial settlement.
This helped attract British settlers who utilized the river for its natural resources.
The Grand Trunk Railway, established in the 1850s, was a significant catalyst for development,
bringing history and employment, which led to the initial housing developments
south of the railway tracks.
In 1884, the area north of Queen Street, then called Riverside,
was annexed by the City of Toronto. and this created further residential development.
This period saw the construction of many Victorian and Edwardian style homes,
which now contribute to the neighborhood's characteristic charm.
The building of the Prince Edward Viaduct in 1918 further connected Riverdale
to the rest of the city, facilitating even more growth and development.
Over the years, Riverdale has evolved into a vibrant community known for its
independent art scene, numerous art galleries along Queen Street East.
The neighborhood became a melting pot of cultures, notably with the establishment
of the Greek community along Danforth Avenue, known as Greektown,
and a smaller Chinatown at Girard and Broadview.
The diversity of the Riverdale area is evident in the many community events that happen here.
Riverdale is also home to several landmarks that reflect its history.
The Hennick Bridge Point Hospital, initially the House of Refuge in 1875,
and the Don Jail are significant historical sites.
The neighborhood is also known for its historic Victorian homes,
especially in areas like Simpson and Langley Avenues, where some of the oldest homes in Riverdale,
known as the Six Sisters, can be found.
Today, Riverdale is a popular residential area due to its blend of historical
architecture, access to green spaces like Riverdale Park and Withrow Park.
And its proximity to downtown.
Gentrification, especially in Riverside, has brought new condos and townhomes
to the neighborhood, shifting demographics while maintaining its community vibe.
The neighborhood continues to attract young professionals and families with
its great schools, shopping districts, and overall livability.
The evolution of Riverdale from a small rural community to one of Toronto's
vibrant neighborhoods is what I wanted to showcase in today's podcast.
And most importantly, I wanted to introduce you to one of the earliest families
in the neighborhood along with hearing their stories.
So this bonus episode is the first home history podcast interview I've done.
And this is with a family that lives on Withrow Avenue in the Riverdale area
of the Danforth. And I do hope you enjoy this story.
It's a wonderful story. Great people.
A very wonderful.
Detailed storytelling session happened, and I wanted to share some of it with
you. So I hope you enjoy this. So sit back and relax.
Originally, my grandparents got it in either 47 or 48.
There was a fire just prior to them buying it at the back end of the house.
And so the back end was changed. The kitchen was changed.
There used to be what I would call a sunroom. one room L-shaped on the kitchen.
So the kitchen was very small.
When they rebuilt, they took that off.
Or they left that on but took out the wall, so the kitchen's a lot bigger.
Since then, the house has gone
through, originally I think it was both grandparents and father, possibly.
Then it was my grandfather and father. Then it was my father and mother.
Then it was my mother. And then it was my mother and me and now me. Wow.
Living room. The living room. This used to be where we're sitting here. We're on the veranda.
Okay. When I was about 10, 9, 10, they revamped and they enclosed the veranda
to make the bigger living room.
You can feel a bit of a... You can see there's a bit of a bump there.
There's a house two doors down. There used to be four small houses. Okay.
I'm 46. I barely remember the first one being torn down. Yeah.
This one is about 18-ish years old, I think. But then the other small house
is still there, and she has an enclosed porch. Okay.
They haven't done much structural changes to it. There's a very few renovations
in the upstairs, I think.
A little bit, yeah. Well, and this is a very common part of these stories is
because the house wasn't the way it is now.
Sometimes biologically, the house, you know, is a different age.
One half of the house might be 08. The other half of the house might be upgraded in the 70s.
So hearing this from you, of course, makes it a lot more real.
The only upgrade that my parents did was they added more kitchen cupboards.
Because originally, when my grandparents moved in, there wasn't,
as far as I not remember, because I wasn't born then, but no,
is that my grandfather built the cupboards in the kitchen.
He was a carpenter and did a lot of carpentry work throughout the city.
But making this into the larger living room was the big thing my parents did.
Her grandfather's claim to fame. He worked on making these gardens.
Wow. Okay. He was working in there. Okay. Even the basement here isn't totally dug out.
Okay. So I had to have the walls parged, I guess you could guess,
like maybe six or seven years ago.
And the contractor called me at work and said, the front of your house has no foundation.
And I said, what are you talking about? Oops. And he says, well,
no, the front, the first few, there's no block.
I'm like, oh, yeah, okay, yeah, that makes sense.
And I said, well, that's because they extended it and whatnot.
I guess when they extended, they didn't do a foundation. There's no block,
no whatever on the bottom of the walls.
Yeah, yeah. It would have been different in those days. Well,
most in the backyard, when they first paved the road and took all the bricks out,
was it your father's grandfather took the bricks and there's a pathway in the
backyard that was the original road.
Really? Wow. That's a very cool tie-in for sure.
So the original bricks for the road. Yeah, for the road. Yeah,
yeah. So basically, that's all that I know about that.
I think a couple things about the original house next door. What?
Trust me. You call it the gatehouse?
Yeah, no, yeah, the gatehouse. They're used to, it's not even tied into this house, though, John.
I know, but it's the street in general. Mm-hmm.
It's still history of the neighborhood. Well, yeah, no, and of course, and I'll just pause.
He lived in three houses. He lived in, I think it's 179, and then they moved
to 185, and the reason for that was?
185 had electricity. Had electricity, 179. Good reason to move,
huh? Yeah, it's an upgrade, I guess you could call it.
And they rented both those houses. It's either that way or the other way around. Okay, yeah.
Okay, and then they bought this house in, I'm going to say, 1948. Okay.
Wow, what a great story. So, and the house that I told you about,
203, that person, they lived there until about, I'm going to say the late 70s.
And he ran a business out of it.
Called Sloan's Tea, and the Sloan family lived in that house.
And that's where the stables, you're saying, were. Yeah. And actually,
there was a thing that they wanted now, put up a garage and an apartment on
top of the garage, I think, where the stables were. Okay.
When they sold the property in, I'm going to say, 78, 79, They got rid of the
new owner. I think it was the first one because it's had several owners since.
But got rid of the barn and sold off the property. And the barn probably was behind...
207, 209. Yeah, because you went down. And it spilled off the property so that
they could have parking. Yeah, you drove down the driveway and the barn was
on your right-hand side.
Left-hand side is right down. Your dad got stuck on there. Oh,
on the lane? Yeah. The lane weaved. Right-hand side.
So that's the story of that house in 203. Wow. And the corner house at one point in time was a store.
Yeah. And it used to have a great big cement thing out front,
the corner store. Big cement steps.
So that we all sat there and played. They went around the corner.
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
That concludes this episode of Home History Podcasts and my special Riverdale podcast episode.
I hope you've enjoyed it. I really hope that you'll be part of the next episode,
wherever you're listening to this in the Toronto GTA area.
I love doing these history reports. And mostly I love the idea of adding your voices to the program.
So if you're interested in being part of the next one, reach out to me anytime,
paul at realestatepodcastshow.com or text me or email, sorry,
text or call 416-823-2705.
Thanks for tuning in. Hope you enjoyed the show.