Seaton Village

Seaton Village Home With Frontyard

Seaton Village, a neighbourhood nestled in the Annex that's now over 100 years old, is a diverse and welcoming community. With neighbours who go out of their way to get to know each other, and several community-run events throughout the year, long-term residents are proud to be a part of Seaton Village. Young families mix with University of Toronto students and Koreatown residents, making for an eclectic and lively neighbourhood. The small streets have residents sitting on their porches or tending to their gardens, making for a homey feel that's complemented by the burst of flowers that spring brings to Vermont Avenue. Bloor Street comes alive at night with the bustling of shops and restaurants, in addition to a handful of small businesses, like art galleries or fitness studios, which have decided to make their mark on Seaton Village.

Location

Seaton Village is a pocket between Christie Street and Bathurst Street (from West to East) and from the Canadian Pacific Railway, roughly Dupont Street, down to Bloor Street to the South. It's also recognized by the City of Toronto as part of the Annex neighbourhood, which extends to the east into Yorkville.

Seaton Village Horse Drawn Carriage in 1980 by Wikimedia Commons
Horse Drawn Carriage in 1980 by Wikimedia Commons

History

Seaton Village is named after John Colborne, First Baron Seaton, who was a Colonial Governor of Upper Canada from 1828 to 1836. The community was originally established by Colonel David Shank and Captain Samuel Smith, whose farm lots were obtained by George Crookshank. The village was laid out on Crookshank’s farm in the 1850s, but apart from the Crookshank household that had a view of the lake from Bathurst Street, the residential development that we see today didn’t begin until 1888, when the village was incorporated into the City of Toronto. Some houses built at that time are still around today, and over the past 100 years, they became the homes of Torontonians from all walks of life.

Homes, Architecture, and Real Estate

Seaton Village has unmistakable similarities to the Annex, but at a lower cost and cozier size — although the average home in 2012 was $679,796. However, it's not rare to find yourself passing a beautiful Victorian home on a tree-lined street. These homes give a remarkable amount of character to the neighbourhood. Although some of these homes were built in the late 19th century, proud residents have been able to preserve their historical and architectural beauty. The area is also home to many semi-detached single-family homes, which are of solid brick construction. The average selling price of homes in Seaton Village has jumped $100,000 in the past year, coinciding with the popularity of the multi-million-dollar Annex homes.

The Annex Home Detail
The Annex Home (Detail)

Local Trivia

The Listening Tree is a children’s book written by Celia Lottridge that takes place in Seaton Village. As a long-term resident of the Annex since 1975, Lottridge sought to create a story of Toronto for children to read, and to educate them on the big city in Canadian history (including the Great Depression). Torontonian readers will recognize certain landmarks in the story, like Casa Loma, and Seaton residents will appreciate their neighbourhood coming to life in fiction.

Who's Your Neighbour? 

The residents of Seaton Village are similar to the Annex residents of the area to the east, with young middle-class families that are family-oriented and come from many different backgrounds. With Koreatown to the West and the University of Toronto to the East, you frequently see a mix of ages and backgrounds walking through the area.

Canadian Geese by Amelia Extra
Canadian Geese by Amelia Extra

Parks and Green Spaces 

  • Vermont Square is a 1.5 hectare park at 819 Palmerston Avenue near Dupont Street and Bathurst Street. This park has bocce courts, a wading pool, an indoor hockey rink, an indoor poor within a community centre, and a large area used as an open park for off-leash dog walking. At the north end, there's the Bill Bolton Arena ice skating rink.
  • Euclid Avenue Parkette is at 711 Euclid Avenue.
  • Ed and Anne Mirvish Parkette, at 843 Bathurst Street, is named in honour of Canadian businessman and Honest Ed owner Ed Mirvish.

Recreation & Culture 

  • St Albans Boys’ and Girls’ Club was founded in 1949 and has its home in Vermont Square Park, which runs a handful of programs for families with children of all ages, including aquatic programs and a computer lab. Their drop-in adult programs include yoga, tai chi, basketball, and soccer.
  • Christie Pits Park is just west of Seaton Village, at 750 Bloor Street, and it's the largest park in the area, known for its large baseball diamonds, outdoor pool, children’s playground, and community-run events.
St Albans Boys and Girls Club
St. Alban's Boys and Girls Club

Other Nearby Recreation and Fitness Centres 

 

Libraries 

  • Palmerston Library, 560 Palmerston Avenue, (416) 393-7680

Schools, Universities, and Colleges 

Arts and Entertainment 

  • The St Peter Catholic Church hosts free outdoor movies in its courtyard throughout the summer on select Fridays at 8:30 p.m. Popcorn and refreshments are also sold onsite.
  • The Annex WreckRoom is a live event venue at 794 Bathurst Street with 9,000 square feet of space, a bar, and VIP areas. It hosts dance, DJ, and live band events.
  • The Bloor Street Cinema is a newly renovated theatre now home to the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema, featuring select documentary films. Formerly a theatre that opened in 1913, in 2011, the Hot Docs management took over and decided to run special documentary presentations, with improved seating, projection, and sound capabilities.
  • Nearby is the Bathurst Street Theatre, one street south of Bloor Street on Bathurst at the former United Church of Canada. The historic 500-seat Bathurst Street Theatre showcases many theatrical presentations and houses the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. The Annex Theatre is in an adjoining building at 730 Bathurst Street.
Honest Eds in Toronto
Honest Ed's

Shopping 

  • Bloor Street is the main attraction for the area’s shopping. Easily accessible by transit, Bloor Street is home to a plethora of shops — from family-owned businesses to upscale boutiques. You can also find bookstores, restaurants, cafés, art supplies, salons and spas, electronic stores, banks, and some of the best fresh fruit and veggie markets in the city.  
  • Mirvish Village is known for Honest Ed’s, the world famous giant bargain centre that, since 1948, has sold “everything from wine to twine.” Since then, it has become a city landmark, an unforgettable (and huge) store at the corner of Bloor and Bathurst, with its flashing lights and quirky mottos plastered across the building. A quick peak inside will show you every bargain item you can imagine, with historical Toronto photographs from floor to ceiling on the walls.  
Seaton Village Shopping District

Restaurants 

Transportation 

  • By streetcar — The 511 streetcar runs from Bathurst Station to the Exhibition Place in the Harbourfront neighbourhood. Buses run from Christie Station, up Christie Street, and east-west along Dupont Avenue.
  • By subway — The Bloor-Danforth line runs between Kipling and Kennedy stations, stopping at both stations in Seaton Village, Christie Station and Bathurst Station. The first trains leave Christie Station at 5:55 a.m. Bathurst Station is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible.
  • By bike — There are bike lanes running along Barton Avenue that can take you into the Annex, or up north at Davenport, which go to the outskirts of the city. 
TTC Streetcar by Michael Gil
TTC Streetcar by Michael Gil

Local Associations and Organizations 

  • The Seaton Village Residents’ Association (SVRA) is a community organization for residents, seeking to improve living conditions in the Seaton Village area and encourage the neighbourhood to share their interests among each other. This includes Playground, Events, and Safety and Traffic committees.
  • Seaton Park Friends is an informal organization run by residents that shares information and Seaton Park events through its Facebook group.

Medical Centres and Doctors 

  • HealthSource Medical Clinic, 473 Dupont Street (416) 588-1888
  • Dr. Tara Andresen, 1100 Bathurst Street (647) 330-1551
  • Bathurst-Dupont Dental, 1076 Bathurst Street (416) 531-3451
  • Word of Mouth Dentistry, 800 Bathurst Street #503 (416) 533-3712
  • Dr. Norma Chou, 896 Bathurst Street (416) 532-3041
  • Bathurst Street Foot Ankle Clinic, 873 Bathurst Street (416) 536-7727
  • CML Healthcare, 800 Bathurst Street (416) 535-3840
  • Gamma-Dynacare Medical Laboratories, 726 Bloor Street West (416) 535-0339
  • Tara Marcinkowski, Toronto Naturopathic Doctor, 677 Dupont Street (416) 648-7099

Police Station

  • 53 Division, 75 Eglinton Avenue W (416) 808-5300, Fax (416) 808-5302

Fire Station

  • Station #344, 240 Howland Avenue

Post Offices

  • Canada Post, 360 Bloor Street West

Churches

  • St Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, 830 Bathurst Street (416) 534-4219
  • Christie Street Baptist Church, 177 Christie Street (416) 909-0059
  • The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 851 Ossington Avenue (416) 531-0535
  • St. Ann’s Spiritual Baptist Church, 645 Dupont Street
  • East Toronto Korean Presbyterian Church, 40 Yarmouth Road

 Demographics

  • Total population: 5,634
  • Total households: 2,531
  • Average household income: $41,506
  • Average age: 38
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