Draft:Sumach Street (Toronto)

Sumach Street

Sumach Street at Winchester
Maintained by	City of Toronto government
Length	1.9 km (1.2 mi)
Location	Toronto
South end	Eastern Avenue
Major junctions	King Street Queen Street Shuter Street Dundas Street Gerrard Street Carlton Street
North end	Wellesley Street
Nearby arterial roads in Toronto ← Parliament Street River Street →

Sumach Street is a north-south street in the eastern part of Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The street is one of the major streets west of the Don River and is part of a grid of lanes and streets composing Cabbagetown, Regent Park and Corktown neighborhoods.

The street is in two parts;

• The southern portion is a northward continuation of Cherry Street, running 500 metres from Cherry Street and Eastern Avenue to Shuter Street
• The northern portion runs north-south one kilometre from Dundas Avenue to Wellesley Street

Sumach Street stands as a testament to the city's history and the resilience of its communities, reflecting the dynamic growth and change that have shaped Toronto over the years.

Toponymy

It was named after the Sumac shrubs or trees, a common plant found in the area at the time of its creation (early 19th century).

History

Today’s Corktown neighborhood used to have 3 creeks that meandered across King Street East between Berkeley and Sumach Streets, all likely serving as waterways and fishing grounds for First Nation People.

European settlement in the area began in the late 18th century with the establishment of Fort York in 1793 by the British.

19th century

It wasn't until the 19th century, with the expansion of the city and the development of the Don Vale, Cabbagetown and Corktown neighbourhoods that Sumach Street originated as a result of urban planning efforts, with city officials and developers laying out grids of streets to organize the growing city. During this time, Cabbagetown actually referred to the area south of Gerrard Street, the north side was called Don Vale.

Sumach street is the oldest street name in Corktown, dating back to 1819 when the area was first surveyed.

Until the 1840s, Sumach street’s area was mostly farmland, but Ireland's potato famine was about to change that.

It became home to many Irish immigrants who arrived in 1840s-50s to escape desperation and famine in their homeland. Brick Victorian-style Houses, stately middle-class homes and working-class cottages were built along Sumach.

During this period, Sumach Street was part of the thriving industrial landscape and lined with factories, warehouses, and workers' housing, serving as a hub for manufacturing and trade. Most of the residents found employment at the local or breweries or brickyards. The street was bustling with activity, as workers commuted to their jobs and businesses operated around the clock.

In 1856, the Toronto General Hospital was constructed imon the north side of what was to become Gerrard, between Sackville and Sumach Streets. It was a very grand-white brick building with Mansard roofs. Originally built to accommodate 250 patients, it was expanded repeatedly, acquiring an excellent reputation in the medical world and was a major training facility.

20th century

The 19^th century brick houses were not well maintained in this period.

Regent Park was Canada's first social housing complex, built in the 1940s and 1950s and largest public housing communities in Canada.

The nickname “Cabbagetown” is now applied to the remaining historical which used to correspond to Don Vale (West to Don River, east to Parliament and north to Gerrard Street).