Rebuilding the heartbeat of Old Toronto

by David McPherson

Toronto’s renowned St. Lawrence neighbourhood is expecting the return of its North Market building this spring. In the past, the site had been home to five other buildings, the last of which was underused and subsequently demolished in 2016.

The iconic St. Lawrence Market district – Toronto’s first planned neighbourhood that was home to the city’s first public well and first seat of government – is welcoming an impressive new building this spring that is set to become a beacon of culture, arts and civic engagement.

The return of St. Lawrence’s North Market building means a revival of the site’s original historic intent as a community space that’s buzzing with activity seven days a week. Over the past two centuries, the location – which is part of the original 10 blocks of the former town of York – had been home to five buildings. Its latest structure, erected in 1968, housed a Saturday farmer’s market and Sunday antique market before it was demolished in 2016. The rest of the week, it sat derelict.