Rosedale

 

Rosedale began when Sherrif William Botsford Jarvis, and his wife Mary settled on a homestead here in the 1820’s. It was Mary Jarvis who came up with the Rosedale name, as a tribute to the profusion of wild roses that graced the hillsides of the Jarvis estate. Mary’s frequent walks and horseback rides through Rosedale, blazed a trail for the meandering and winding streets that are today a Rosedale trademark. The Jarvis family sold the Rosedale homestead in 1864 which led to the subdivision and development of South Rosedale.

 

North Rosedale’s development began in 1909 when a bridge was built over the Park Drive ravine. Prior to its residential development North Rosedale had been the original home of St. Andrews College and the Rosedale Golf Club. It was also the site of the former lacrosse grounds, where the Canadian Football League’s first Grey Cup game was played. South Rosedale’s designation as a heritage conservation district was spearheaded by the South Rosedale Ratepayers’ Association (which was formed in 1931 and is the oldest such association in Toronto). The ratepayers’ association was naturally concerned that the neighbourhood’s Garden Suburb characteristics and grand old houses would be preserved. Thanks to the group’s efforts South Rosedale was granted heritage conservation district status in 2003. North Rosedale followed the lead of South Rosedale, receiving its heritage conservation district designation in 2005.

 

 

Rosedale residents living west of Mount Pleasant Road are within walking distance of the upscale shops and restaurants, located on Yonge Street, in the Summerhill area. North Rosedale residents, east of Mount Pleasant Road, can obtain all of their household needs within a small commercial block on Summerhill Avenue, at the very north end of Rosedale.

 

 

Rosedale’s Victorian, Georgian, Tudor, and Edwardian style mansions were built between 1860 and 1940. Many Rosedale homes are listed on the Toronto Historical Board’s Inventory of Heritage Properties. South Rosedale also contains a number of condominium, co-operative, and co-ownership apartment buildings. These apartments are surprisingly affordable and provide a good entry into the neighbourhood. The Garden Suburb street pattern, ravine topography, and grand old homes, and classical architecture are all part of the charm that Rosedale is renowned for.