Bloor Street

Bloor Street is a major east-west commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Don Valley Parkway (DVP) in Toronto's east-end to the west-end and into Mississauga, where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the DVP, Bloor Street becomes Danforth Avenue. The street, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) long, contains a significant cross-sample of Toronto's ethnic communities. It is also home to the city's most exclusive shopping area. Locally, Bloor Street is often conceptualized as a "dividing line" between downtown and mid-town Toronto.

The street is named after Joseph Bloor (or Bloore), a developer of this area in the 19th century who founded the Village of Yorkville in 1830. He is buried at Necropolis Cemetery on Bayview Avenue and Rosedale Valley Road.

The Bloor-Danforth subway line runs along the Toronto portion of the roadway between Kipling and the start of Danforth Avenue.

Sites along the street

Bustling intersection of Bloor and Bay Streets in April 2006.

The street begins at the Prince Edward Viaduct, which passes over the ravine holding the Don River. The street continues through to Rosedale Ravine, and marks the southern border of the exclusive community of Rosedale. East of Parliament Street the street passes just to the north of the massive St. James Town housing project, which stretches west to Sherbourne Street. On the northern side of Bloor in this section is the forested slopes of the Rosedale Ravine. Between Sherbourne and Church Street the street is lined by large office towers, mostly home to insurance companies. This area has long been the centre of the insurance industry in Canada.

West of Church the street becomes more commercial and is an important shopping district. In downtown, especially around the intersection with Bay Street, it is one of the most exclusive stretches of real estate in Canada. Rents on the upscale Bloor Street have doubled in 4 years, ranking as the 22nd most expensive retail location in the world in 2006, up two spots from 2005. Nationally, Vancouver's upscale Robson Street tied with Bloor Street West as the most expensive street in Canada, with an annual average rental price of $208 per square foot.^{[citation needed]}

At Yonge and Bloor, the intersection of Toronto's two most prominent streets, there are two of the city's tallest buildings: the Hudson's Bay Centre and 2 Bloor Street West. Under this intersection is the Bloor-Yonge subway station, the busiest in the city, serving approximately 368,800 people a day. At the southeast corner was a collection of inexpensive shops and restaurants, known as Roy's Square.^[1] It was demollished in 2008 to make way for a new condo tower, 1 Bloor East.^[2]

In the downtown, Bloor Street serves also as the northern-most edge of the campus of the University of Toronto, and is host to several of Toronto's historic sites including the Bata Shoe Museum, the Royal Conservatory of Music, and the southern edge of Yorkville.

West of the university, which ends at Spadina Avenue Bloor Street runs through a diverse series of neighbourhoods such as the Annex, Koreatown, Bloordale Village, High Park, and Bloor West Village. It generally retains its commercial character, and serves as the main shopping area for most of these communities.

Until 1998, Bloor Street was designated as Highway 5 from Kipling Avenue east to the Don River. Like many urban stretches of provincial roadway, it was formally decommissioned as a provincial route on January 1.

Shopping

Yorkville

• Cumberland Terrace
• Manulife Centre
• Hudson's Bay Centre
• Holt Renfrew Centre

The stretch of Bloor between Yonge Street and Avenue Road (often nicknamed "Mink Mile" or "Fashion Mile"^[3]) and its neighbouring side streets are one of the most popular and trendy shopping areas in Toronto, housing several large, well-known fashion and jewelry companies. Some exclusive retailers include Prada, Gucci, Burberry, MAC Cosmetics, Hugo Boss, Chanel, Hermès, Louis Vuitton, Holt Renfrew, Tiffany & Co., Escada, Ermenegildo Zegna, Cartier SA, Rolex Harry Rosen, Calvin Klein, Cole Haan, Vera Wang, Lacoste, Ferrari, Maserati, Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, Williams-Sonoma, Bang and Olufsen, Betsey Johnson, Max Mara, Montblanc, Bulgari, Birks, Coach, Guerlain, Swarovski and other upscale designer boutiques. Mid-priced stores include French Connection, Puma AG, Aldo, Aritzia, Club Monaco, Banana Republic, American Apparel, Roots Canada Ltd, Guess, Nike, Zara, Lululemon, Sephora, Gap and H&M. Bloor Street also contains the first Aroma Espresso Bar in Canada.

Bloor Street/ Yorkville has been recognized as one of the most luxurious shopping streets in North America, being compared to New York's Fifth Avenue, Chicago's Magnificent Mile, and Los Angeles' Rodeo Drive.

Bloor Street now commands an average of $300 per square foot to rent, making it the 3rd most expensive retail space in North America.^[4] Bloor St. was named in 2008 the 7th most expensive shopping street in the world by Fortune Magazine, claiming tenants can pull in $1,500 to $4,500 per square foot in sales.^[5]

Neighbourhoods

A more residential section by High Park

Neighbourhoods along Bloor, from west to east with approximate street addresses, include:

• Markland Wood (4200-4300 Bloor West)
• Islington (3500-4100 West)
• The Kingsway (2700-3400 West)
• Old Mill (2400-2600 West)
• Bloor West Village (2200-2400 West)
• High Park (1800-2200 West)
• The Junction (1500-1700 West)
• Bloordale Village (1100-1500 West)
• Bloorcourt Village (800-1000 West)
• Koreatown (600-800 West)
• Mirvish Village (500 West)
• The Annex (200-500 West)
• Yorkville (200 East-200 West)
• Rosedale (600-200 East)
• St James Town (600-400 East)

Buildings/Parks

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bloor Street, Toronto

• Royal Ontario Museum
• Christie Pits
• Prince Edward Viaduct
• High Park
• University Theatre (facade)
• Royal Conservatory of Music
• Bata Shoe Museum
• Native Canadian Cultural Centre
• Bloor Jewish Community Centre
• Bloor Street United Church
• Applewood Heights Secondary School

See also

Districts:

• Yorkville, a high-end shopping district from Avenue Road to Yonge Street, mainly on Bloor.

Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Bloor (east to west):

• Parliament Street
• Sherbourne Street
• Church Street
• Yonge Street
• Bay Street
• Avenue Road/Queen's Park
• St. George Street
• Spadina Avenue
• Bathurst Street
• Dufferin Street
• Lansdowne Avenue
• Dundas Street West
• Keele Street
• Runnymede Road
• Jane Street
• Islington Avenue
• Kipling Avenue/Dundas Street West
• The East Mall
• The West Mall

Major streets in Mississauga which intersect with Bloor (east to west):

• Dixie Road
• Cawthra Road
• Central Parkway

References