Danforth Avenue
Danforth Avenue is an east-west route in east
Toronto.
The road was named for American contractor
Asa Danforth, who built
Queen Street and
Kingston Road, and started work in 1799. It was officially built by the
Don and Danforth Plank Road Company in 1851 to
Broadview Avenue, as well as connecting to
Queen Street East and
Kingston Road. The street connects with
Bloor Street East via the
Prince Edward Viaduct, spanning the
Don River valley, the
Don Valley Parkway and
Bayview Avenue. The road is colloquially referred to by locals as 'The Danforth'.
The
Bloor-Danforth Subway line runs parallel to most of the road's route, offset to the north some 50 metres, from the
Viaduct west of
Broadview Station to
Main Street Station, where the
GO Transit Danforth Station is nearby.
In
Scarborough,
Danforth Road is part of the original road that connects
Danforth Avenue with
McCowan Road. Previously, this route continued around the
Highland Creek along roadways now known as
Painted Post Drive,
Military Trail (where the
University of Toronto Scarborough Campus is located),
Colonel Danforth Trail, and the eastern end of
Lawrence Avenue near
Port Union and the Rouge Hills
GO Transit Train Station.
Major attractions on Danforth Avenue:
* Danforth is also home to Toronto's Greek community, also known as
Greektown.
* Shoppers World, a World War II Munitions plant, converted into a shopping plaza in the 1950s.
*Scarborough War Memorial at the eastern end of Danforth Avenue at
Kingston Road, once the junctions of former
Highways 2 and
5.
*Variety Village, an athletic facility for disabled adults and youth.
*Birchmount Stadium and Scarborough Arena Gardens.
Major streets in Toronto which intersect with Danforth (west to east):
*
Broadview Avenue*
Pape Avenue*
Coxwell Avenue*
Woodbine Avenue*
Victoria Park Avenue*
Warden Avenue*
Kennedy Road *
Midland Road*
Toronto: A Meeting Place*
History and Fame of the Danforth
