Dovercourt Village
Paradise Theatre
1006 Bloor Street West
This heritage-designated theatre was opened in 1937 and designed in Art Deco and Art Moderne styles by one of Toronto's earliest practicing Jewish architects, Benjamin Brown. In the 1960s, the theatre became a hub for the Italian community, with owner Francesco Giacomini bringing films back from Italy to show to local audiences. The fate of the cinema was uncertain after it closed in 2006, and it remained empty for over a decade. Recently, it was saved and restored to its former glory after being purchased by a local businessperson and reopened to the public in late 2019. The marquee sign was rebuilt and acts as a glorious new neighbourhood landmark along Bloor Street West.
Dionne Brand Poem
Northeast corner of Bloor Street West and Dufferin Street
A poem by Dionne Brand is transcribed on the concrete benches at this intersection. While sitting on this bench, Brand wrote the poem about the people walking by. One of Canada's most famous poets, Brand was Toronto's Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2012. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Governor General's Award for Poetry, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Pat Lowther Award for Poetry, the Trillium Prize for Literature, and the Toronto Book Award.
Team Spudbomb Mural
1115 Dufferin Street
This striking mural painted on the side of a dentist office depicts a being with a human face biting into an apple with the world in its other hand. It was painted by Team Spudbomb in 2017. Team Spudbomb consists of artist Spud1 and his partner Brooke, and they have painted many large-scale mural installations as part of the City of Toronto's StreetARToronto program.
Dufferin Street Presbyterian Church
1183 Dufferin Street
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage-designated church building has been a neighbourhood landmark since it opened in 1912. It was designed by architect William Gregg, who is known for designing several other prominent churches in Toronto, including nearby Dovercourt-St. Paul's Presbyterian Church and Bloor Street United Church in the Annex. Notable architectural features include its steeply-pitched gable roof, detailing on the main entrance, and oversized Tudor-arched window openings. It was renovated and converted into residential use in the 2010s.
Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto
1137 Dupont Street
This is the headquarters of the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), an artist-run charitable organization that is dedicated to excellence in film via media arts education and production resources. It assists independent filmmakers and artists develop their talents through affordable access to equipment, professional and creative development, and workshops and courses, among many other services. Among LIFT's more popular programs include 'Lift Out Loud' a bimonthly screenplay reading series that has featured moderators who are prominent Canadian filmmakers such as Clement Virgo, Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, and Karen Walton.
Dovercourt Park
155 Bartlett Avenue
A 2.4-hectare park near Dupont Street and Dufferin Street featuring a lit ball diamond, two outdoor tennis courts, a wading pool and two children's playgrounds. Located at the north east corner of the park is the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
1016 Shaw Street
1016 Shaw Street
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. One of the most interesting homes in the city, this house has been built as an homage to all things Greek. Some of its features include red tiling, parapets, urns, cherubs, and lions.
Paula Gonzalez-Ossa Mural
Under the Railway Underpass on Shaw Street North of Dupont Street
Created by lead artist Paula Gonzalez-Ossa and Native Men's Residence (Na-Me-Res), this mural features a vibrant design of the lands, water, flora and fauna that once existed in the areas around Garrison Creek.
672 Dupont Street
672 Dupont Street
This heritage-designated building was built as an automobile factory for the Ford Motor Company in 1914. Ford divided the building so that each floor had a different function. The first floor was an automobile showroom featuring shiny new Model-Ts and the third floor was where assembly line workers inspected and assembled auto parts by hand. Most interesting was the roof of the building, which Ford utilized as a test track! After Ford left the property, it was taken over by Planters Peanuts from 1948 to 1987. Today, the structure is a mixed-use retail and office building.
Christie Pits Park
750 Bloor Street West
Christie Pits Park is a 8.9-hectare park located at 750 Bloor Street West and Christie Street, across from the Christie subway station. The park features the Alex Duff Memorial Pool, three baseball diamonds, a multi-sport field, basketball and volleyball courts, an artificial ice rink, a children's playground and labyrinth, a splash pad, a wading pool, and a community garden. The sides of the pits are highly sloped and are used for winter related activities. Garrison Creek runs under the park, converted to a storm sewer at the turn of the twentieth century. The park was named after the Christie Sand Pits which were on the location until the early 1900s. The sand pits had been named after Christie Street, which was named after William Mellis Christie, co-founder of the Christie & Brown Cookie Company, now known simply as Mr. Christie. There is also a Heritage Toronto plaque located near the park entrance which notes the unfortunate history of the Christie Pits Riots, which occurred here in 1933. Local youths harassed a Jewish baseball team with Swastikas, resulting in a violent riot between them that lasted for five hours and shocked the city.
Explore Dovercourt Village
Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.
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Explore FREE Public Art Across the City. Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022 is a year-long celebration of Toronto's exceptional public art collection and the creative community behind it.
We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at [email protected].
Neighbourhood Stroll
This busy west end neighbourhood is anchored by two idyllic parks - its namesake Dovercourt Park and the much larger Christie Pits Park. Much of the area was originally founded as the small Village of Dovercourt in the nineteenth century, populated mostly by poor immigrants from England. It was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1910, and continued to grow into the diverse neighbourhood it is today, with beautiful old homes lining its streets and traces of an industrial past along its Dupont Street corridor. This stroll features the fantastic parks, spectacular public art, and intriguing historic buildings that are found throughout the neighbourhood. Great local businesses can be found in the Bloorcourt Village, Dovercourt Village, and Korea Town BIAs.
- Paradise Theatre
1006 Bloor Street West
This heritage-designated theatre was opened in 1937 and designed in Art Deco and Art Moderne styles by one of Toronto's earliest practicing Jewish architects, Benjamin Brown. In the 1960s, the theatre became a hub for the Italian community, with owner Francesco Giacomini bringing films back from Italy to show to local audiences. The fate of the cinema was uncertain after it closed in 2006, and it remained empty for over a decade. Recently, it was saved and restored to its former glory after being purchased by a local businessperson and reopened to the public in late 2019. The marquee sign was rebuilt and acts as a glorious new neighbourhood landmark along Bloor Street West.
- Dionne Brand Poem
Northeast corner of Bloor Street West and Dufferin Street
A poem by Dionne Brand is transcribed on the concrete benches at this intersection. While sitting on this bench, Brand wrote the poem about the people walking by. One of Canada's most famous poets, Brand was Toronto's Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2012. She has won numerous awards for her work, including the Governor General's Award for Poetry, the Griffin Poetry Prize, the Pat Lowther Award for Poetry, the Trillium Prize for Literature, and the Toronto Book Award.
- Team Spudbomb Mural
1115 Dufferin Street
This striking mural painted on the side of a dentist office depicts a being with a human face biting into an apple with the world in its other hand. It was painted by Team Spudbomb in 2017. Team Spudbomb consists of artist Spud1 and his partner Brooke, and they have painted many large-scale mural installations as part of the City of Toronto's StreetARToronto program.
- Dufferin Street Presbyterian Church
1183 Dufferin Street
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage-designated church building has been a neighbourhood landmark since it opened in 1912. It was designed by architect William Gregg, who is known for designing several other prominent churches in Toronto, including nearby Dovercourt-St. Paul's Presbyterian Church and Bloor Street United Church in the Annex. Notable architectural features include its steeply-pitched gable roof, detailing on the main entrance, and oversized Tudor-arched window openings. It was renovated and converted into residential use in the 2010s.
- Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto
1137 Dupont Street
This is the headquarters of the Liaison of Independent Filmmakers of Toronto (LIFT), an artist-run charitable organization that is dedicated to excellence in film via media arts education and production resources. It assists independent filmmakers and artists develop their talents through affordable access to equipment, professional and creative development, and workshops and courses, among many other services. Among LIFT's more popular programs include 'Lift Out Loud' a bimonthly screenplay reading series that has featured moderators who are prominent Canadian filmmakers such as Clement Virgo, Bruce McDonald, Don McKellar, and Karen Walton.
- Dovercourt Park
155 Bartlett Avenue
A 2.4-hectare park near Dupont Street and Dufferin Street featuring a lit ball diamond, two outdoor tennis courts, a wading pool and two children's playgrounds. Located at the north east corner of the park is the Dovercourt Boys and Girls Club.
- 1016 Shaw Street
1016 Shaw Street
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. One of the most interesting homes in the city, this house has been built as an homage to all things Greek. Some of its features include red tiling, parapets, urns, cherubs, and lions.
- Paula Gonzalez-Ossa Mural
Under the Railway Underpass on Shaw Street North of Dupont Street
Created by lead artist Paula Gonzalez-Ossa and Native Men's Residence (Na-Me-Res), this mural features a vibrant design of the lands, water, flora and fauna that once existed in the areas around Garrison Creek.
- 672 Dupont Street
672 Dupont Street
This heritage-designated building was built as an automobile factory for the Ford Motor Company in 1914. Ford divided the building so that each floor had a different function. The first floor was an automobile showroom featuring shiny new Model-Ts and the third floor was where assembly line workers inspected and assembled auto parts by hand. Most interesting was the roof of the building, which Ford utilized as a test track! After Ford left the property, it was taken over by Planters Peanuts from 1948 to 1987. Today, the structure is a mixed-use retail and office building.
- Christie Pits Park
750 Bloor Street West
Christie Pits Park is a 8.9-hectare park located at 750 Bloor Street West and Christie Street, across from the Christie subway station. The park features the Alex Duff Memorial Pool, three baseball diamonds, a multi-sport field, basketball and volleyball courts, an artificial ice rink, a children's playground and labyrinth, a splash pad, a wading pool, and a community garden. The sides of the pits are highly sloped and are used for winter related activities. Garrison Creek runs under the park, converted to a storm sewer at the turn of the twentieth century. The park was named after the Christie Sand Pits which were on the location until the early 1900s. The sand pits had been named after Christie Street, which was named after William Mellis Christie, co-founder of the Christie & Brown Cookie Company, now known simply as Mr. Christie. There is also a Heritage Toronto plaque located near the park entrance which notes the unfortunate history of the Christie Pits Riots, which occurred here in 1933. Local youths harassed a Jewish baseball team with Swastikas, resulting in a violent riot between them that lasted for five hours and shocked the city.
Accessibility information: Most of the points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street. Dovercourt Park has paved paths, but some of the amenities within it require traversing grass or dirt to access.
The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.
Soundtracks of the City
From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.
Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.