This is where Toronto’s first government, industry and commercial centres were located. Numerous important historical buildings are still standing on the periphery of the neighbourhood including: the St. Lawrence Market South building which served as Toronto’s first City Hall, the Gooderham Flat Iron building which was the offices for the Gooderham financial empire, the King Edward Hotel designed by E.J. Lennox the architect of Casa Loma and St. James Cathedral which has the tallest church spire in Canada. 

Much of the present-day St. Lawrence neighbourhood was created from landfill in the early 1800’s. It was originally intended to serve as a public promenade with a grand Esplanade along the waterfront. However the city turned the land over to the railways, which in turn attracted industry to the St. Lawrence area which remained a vital industrial area until the late 1940’s, when Toronto’s industrial base began moving outside of the city. Consequently, St. Lawrence went into a period of decline that lasted until the 1970’s, when Toronto politicians created the blueprint for the present-day St. Lawrence neighbourhood.

The St. Lawrence neighbourhood is as old as Toronto itself. In fact, the Town of York, the forerunner to the City of Toronto, spanned the 10 city blocks that now comprise the St. Lawrence neighbourhood. The architecturally significant 19th-century Georgian style red and yellow brick buildings that line Front Street harken back to this earlier period.

The newer part of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood situated around The Esplanade was constructed in the 1970s. These residences contain a nice mix of low rent and subsidized rental accommodation together with co-ops, and luxury new condominiums.

The St. Lawrence Market South building, a neighbourhood landmark stands proudly as the home to over 200 food vendors and is frequented by tourists and locals alike. This market founded in 1803, was recently ranked by National Geographic as the best food market in the world.

A family-friendly neighbourhood with residents from mixed incomes and many different cultural backgrounds.  The St. Lawrence neighbourhood has been critically acclaimed as a major success story in urban planning. It has become a model for the design and planning of mixed-use new neighbourhoods across North America.