King & Queen West

King & Queen West

From the Toronto International Film Festival to the numerous bars, nightclubs and restaurants King & Queen West truly is the entertainment centre of Toronto. In addition there are plenty of commercial spaces and storefronts along the major streets. You also do not have to leave the area to furnish your home as the neighbourhood is host to stylish furniture shops, art galleries and home improvement stores.

King & Queen West have the best selection and variety of condominium options including low-rise, mid-rise, hard and soft lofts as well as condominium terrace homes. The most sought after apartment buildings are the authentic hard lofts along Queen Street West such as Candy Factory Lofts & Chocolate Factory Lofts. They are characterized by their exposed brick, large windows, exposed wood beams and concrete floors.

History

There is no doubt that when most people think of Queen West Trinity-Bellwoods comes to mind. Trinity-Bellwoods was once part of a 100 acre tract of land owned by Captain Samuel Smith. At the time he named the parcel of land “Gore Vale”. A street to the East of the park still retains that original name. In 1852 the lower half of the park became the grounds on which Trinity College was built. The gates of Trinity College are still standing today at Strachan Avenue & Queen Street West.

King West Village was originally part of the Military Reserves of the Town of York which was the forerunner of the City of Toronto. In the 1830’s the military land was auctioned off and by the 1850’s the railway reached the area. With this new means of transportation the area quickly evolved into an industrial area and maintained that use throughout most of the 1900’s. In 1996 the City of Toronto stepped in and put forth the King-Spadina Plan which transformed the area into the vibrant neighbourhood it is today.