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In the early 1800s, mid-town Toronto, now known as Yonge and St. Clair, was known as the Third Concession, and was nothing more than dense forest filled with deer and other wildlife. Today, this area is a major thoroughfare through the city of Toronto.
By the middle 1830s, the settlers had cleared the land, set up market gardens, had sawmills, water-powered grist mills, a feed store, and a whiskey distillery that sold their special brew to inns all along Yonge Street.
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By 1890, the Metropolitan Railway had electric streetcars while the side streets were developed with sidewalks. Small family homes were now scattered among the large estates and new churches, schools, shops, and residences were being added. The Third Concession had become St. Clair Avenue.
As time continued, Yonge and St. Clair developed its residential neighbourhood until 1954. It was then the Yonge Street subway arrived which brought with it new construction of the Mutual Life and Imperial Oil buildings among the first office towers.
Today, those same office buildings have become highly valued real estate as exclusive condos. As an example, the former Mutual Life structure has reopened and is now a luxury condo with dual penthouses valued at $3.5 million each and known as One 12 St. Clair.
In this same general area, but not immediately on St. Clair Avenue, homes vary in price, size, and style. The higher priced residences can be found with the distinguished brick homes on Oriole Parkway and Chaplin. Older townhouses are more plentiful on Walker and Alcom Avenues while the more inexpensive two-storey brick homes, yet still on the higher end, are found on Lawton Boulevard and Hillside Avenue West.
All in all, the real estate in the Yonge and St. Clair area is one of the most diversified and well-rounded neighbourhoods of Toronto. This narrow mid-town strip is most desirable for working, entertaining, and living, and the trend shows no evidence of changing.
