By: Diti Dumas and Morgan Dumas 
In the early 1800’s Corktown was inhabited by working class immigrants, many of who had come with their families from the County of Cork in Ireland. (This is one explanation of how the neighbourhood received its name) Upon arriving, many of the Corktown residents found employment at one of the local breweries or brickyards nearby. Corktown is one of Toronto’s most historic neighbourhoods and the first community of its kind to be conceived in the heart of Toronto.
Located west of the Don River, east of Jarvis St. and between Queen St. E, Richmond St. and part of King St, this east end neighbourhood is becoming home to some of the city’s most modern and unique new developments and one of the most affordable neighbourhoods in Toronto. This sought after area has become very popular with young professionals who describe the area as being convenient for their busy lifestyles.
Due to the new and less rigid zoning bylaws in the Corktown district there have been many conversions and new developments of Corktown’s older commercial buildings in order to make them live-work studios, condominium lofts and professional offices. Not only are these transformations creating homes for many area residents they are also creating a great deal of revitalization for the entire area.
In addition to the transformations seen in this area, some of the oldest Victorian row-houses in the Toronto area can be found in Corktown, and believe it or not many of these date back to the mid 1850’s and 1860’s. They were known as “workers’ cottages” and can be found on the narrow laneways that are tucked away off of Corktown’s main streets.
Homes in Corktown can range anywhere from $300,000 and upwards; allowing a wide variety of people from all walks of life to reside in this area.
Although, only near a limited amount of shops within the main core of Corktown the residents have the added benefit of enjoying the close proximity to the St. Lawrence Market and the shops along King St. E and Queen St. E including the King and Queen Streetcar line and subway allowing transportation to be simple for the residents of Corktown.
When living in Corktown the closest schools are Ingelbrook Alternative School and Jarvis Collegiate Institute as well as the oldest Catholic Elementary School in Toronto: St. Paul’s Catholic School which was founded in 1842. For the younger members of the family, take a trip to the Sackville playground on King St. E where young children can play at the “kiddy park” and swim in the wading pool while older children and adults can play a game of basketball on the park’s basketball court.
Neighbourhood Factoid: Upon arriving in Corktown, many of the original settlers could not afford the high pew rental fees at the nearby St. James Cathedral. It was because of this they decided to build the “Little Trinity Church” in 1843, designed by Fredrick Cumberland. You can still find the church offices and Sunday school rooms at the original location at 417 King St. E. A few years later, just south of the “Little Trinity Church”, The Trinity Schoolhouse was built in 1848. This school was Toronto’s first ‘free school’. Similar to the “Little Trinity Church”, over a century and a half later, children and adults alike are still being educated at the Trinity schoolhouse due to its transformation into a museum designed to replicate a mid-nineteenth century classroom.
Diti Dumas is a Sales Representative with Royal LePage R.E.S. Ltd./JOHNSTON & DANIEL DIVISION, Brokerage. Diti is a regular contributor to the Muddy York Blog. Diti’s website is located at www.ditidumas.com.
Morgan Dumas is an aspiring writer and journalism student from Ryerson University in Toronto.
