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A Hopeful Beginning
After a long and loud contention that the district east of the Don had not shared in the public utilities of the City in proportion to its rapid growth and increasing needs Mr. W.F. McLean, M.P. through the columns of his newspaper, The Toronto World, at last convinced the general body of ratepayers of the feasibility of a viaduct connecting East Rosedale with the backward area North and South of Danforth Ave. Quick to notice the change in public opinion towards the new project a few prospective settlers bought lots with intention of making them the site of their future homes or as a real estate investment. But the great rush only started with the advent of the streetcar, the hydro service and water facilities in 1913 when hundreds of home seekers sought and obtained lots at reasonably low prices.
Among the first purchasers, was the Separate School Board who in 1911 bough five hundred and fifteen feet by one hundred and twenty-six directory North of Withrow Park. Later on in 1912 the board bought, with the sanction of His Grace Archbishop McNeil, who had not yet occupied the See of Toronto, adjoining land with a frontage on Danforth Ave., of one hundred and ten fee by one hundred and twenty on Carlaw Ave. The transaction completed the purchase of the entire block running from WithrowPark to Danforth Ave. a distance in all of six hundred and thirty-five feet, which gave ample room for school grounds, church and presbytery. The deed was made out by the City for school and church purposes, February 15th, 1913.
During the construction of the viaduct, which covered a period of three years (1915-1918) farms and market-gardens North of Danforth Ave. were being bought and sold to a steady stream of newcomers who wanted to exchange the congested environment and their present homes for the open-air sunshine of a high and commanding location. In those years of rapid transformation East Toronto grew into a population of 150,000. This sudden influx of people created problems social, educational and religious which had to be met quickly, courageously and with financial caution. Though it was a day of small means, it was a day of big beginnings. If the stakes were few, they needed to be large and put down far apart. The bigness of the district, its lofty eminence and nearness to the centre of the city, attracted a constantly increasing population which meant that despite limited resources the foundations of church and school had to be laid deep and wide, commensurate with the requirements of a large community.
Fortunately for Holy Name Parish, the new settlers in the Danforth locality came largely from the older parishes where Catholic loyalties and friendships were rich and abiding. Like the branches of the sugar tree, which contain the sweetness of the root and stem, the young pioneers were permeated with the traditions and Catholic practices of the home life in which they were brought up. With a youthful zeal and a keen eye for time and occasion, they sought permission of the ecclesiastical authorities to found and erect a new parish with a central location on Danforth Ave. They had already presented their case to the School Board and their request was met by the erection of an eight-room school.
But in the absence of a pastor, their request did not meet with the approval of the contiguous parishes whose objections were early presented and considered by the authorities. The contention was that any geographical partition, which should interfere with the longitudinal proportions of St. Ann’s parish or lessen it resources, was altogether unacceptable. In order to preserve intact the area between the lakefront and Danforth Ave., it was suggested to the Ordinary that a site on Fulton and Carlaw Ave. be bought, leaving Danforth Ave. the southern limit of the new parish. But as Fulton Ave. touched the dividing line between City and County where a large tract of land was held by a wealthy owner, it made any northward expansion impossible then or in the near future. With the advent of a pastor, certain representations were made by the people who felt that without a parish school, a street car service or a bus line, no advancement was possible and that in addition to these adverse circumstances the land barrier to the North hindered all development in that direction. Having ascertained the real facts of the case, His Grace the Archbishop recognized the justice of the claims advanced and immediately abandoned the newly bought site on Fulton and Carlaw for the location where the church now stands. This gave much satisfaction to the small community which up to now had not yet received a parish name.
Danforth Ave., being one of the outstanding attractions, which brought them to the district, appealed to their business instinct as topographically suitable for a church.
The church situation having been settled, the school reverted to the parish and the boundaries became automatically adjusted to suit the convenience of those living in the immediate vicinity. The scattered groups, who had hitherto lived apart, were now quickly brought together and parish organization established.
REPRINTED FROM “HOLY NAME PARISH 1913 – 1927” A PARISH
HISTORY PUBLISHED 1927.
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