The Yorkville area
of Toronto is well known for its shopping, fine dining and celebrity sightings.
Bounded by Bloor Street, Davenport Road, Yonge Street and Avenue Road, the area
is considered by many as the most
exciting place to visit in Toronto. The area attracts high-end stores,
restaurants, and luxury hotels, which makes it Canada's most exclusive shopping
district. It is also expensive having earned a seventh-place ranking as most
expensive commercial real estate per square foot in the world, third in North
America.
Shopping is rich in Yorkville
While the area is highly expensive for retailers, the area does attract major
shopping interest from much of Toronto and tourists. Luxury stores in the area
include Burberry, Swarovski, Prada, Guerlain, Gucci, Birks, MAC, Bulgari, Hugo
Boss, Montblanc, Chanel, Betsey Johnson, Hermes, Williams-Sonoma, Louis Vuitton,
Rolls-Royce, Holt Renfrew, Maserati, Tiffany & Co., Ferrari, Cartier,
Lacoste, Harry Rosen, Vera Wang, Calvin Klein and Cole Haan.
Sassafraz has plenty to offer
The area is also home to great restaurants, including the incredibly popular
and classy Sassafraz. Located right at the heart of Yorkville, on a prime
corner location, the sunshine-yellow house is probably Toronto's most loved
Yorkville restaurant. During the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF),
the restaurant attracts nearly every celebrity that visits the city for a meal
or cocktail. Sassafraz is well known for its food, but also caters to corporate
events and weddings. With a state of the art audio-visual system and a variety
of rooms to meet all demands, it is perhaps one of the best-kept venue secrets.
The second floor is home to two rooms, The Cumberland Room and The Bellair
Room, which can offer elegant and comfortable seating for medium-sized groups.
The main dining room is available to those who have larger groups.
A rich history for a beloved area
The origins of Yorkville date back to 1830, when it was established as a
residential area for people who did not want to live directly in the city of
York. By 1853, the population of the area had hit one thousand and it was
incorporated as a city. Annexed by Toronto in the late 1800s, it went through
many transitions and growths. After the construction of the Bloor-Danforth
subway line, the area began transitioning from residential to commercial, as
the value of the property was significantly higher due to the subway. By the
mid-to-late seventies, the area began seeing the demolition of some smaller
buildings. In their place new larger buildings and high priced condominiums
became the norm. Smaller homes that remained transitioned to chic commercial
space.
Parks and gardens also adorn the area
Residents in the area had wanted parks to be developed in the area since the
early 1950s, but little was done until 1991. The Village of Yorkville Park was
developed from 1991 through 1997 after an international design competition
brought an award-winning plan to the city and community. The park was completed at a cost of $3.5
million, and today it remains one of the most unique and interesting focal
points of the community and a major attraction for tourists and locals who seek
an urban escape.