East Danforth

[King of Kensington]

It's remarkable how many remnants of the East Danforth Italian community remain between Greenwood and Woodbine. Still a number of old school espresso shops and social clubs. I can recall as a kid during the 1994 World Cup when Italy won where the streets in the area were shut down.

Are there any long-time residents of East Dan that remember when the Italian community grew, what its peak period was, and when it started to decline?

Great question! I just posted a comment on another thread that in contrast to the west end of the city, the east end was historically much less multicultural until about 1970. But I neglected to mention the Danforth-Coxwell Italian community. This area developed in the 1950s with postwar immigration. Obviously their numbers were dwarfed by the Italian community's longtime bias towards the west end, and when they left the area I presume they either followed the Italian community's Dufferin/Keele/Weston Rd. northwest path to the suburbs or didn't settle in suburban Italian enclaves. My guess is it probably started to decline in the 1990s.

I know it's not the "East" Danforth - but does anyone know attracted Greek immigrants to the area in the 1960s?

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

I can't answer that for sure but here's my guess.

The original Greek community would have centered around St. George's Church on Bond St. near Dundas. I was in Toronto for an extended stay related to business in 1978 when the Bond Place Hotel had just opened and a bunch of us company serfs from across Canada were parked there for six weeks. There were still a lot of Greek restos and shops selling gifts, books and newspapers nearby.

There was a huge wave of immigration in the late 60s - early 70s from Greece and it would have gravitated there but housing would have been an issue. So why not just move up along the Dundas streetcar line, like the Chinese moved from Chinatown I when a lot of it was torn down to make way for City Hall to Broadview/Gerrard along the College line?

In 1974-75, we lived in Toronto for a year and my husband worked in a building in the Thorncliffe Park industrial sector. Lots of Greeks in the apartment buildings. Naturally, when they needed a big new church to accommodate them all, they built it there.

We first moved to Riverdale in 1985 and there still lots of Greeks around. Many of them had divided the houses into duplexes and triplexes because it's what they had to do for economic reasons, renting to other newcomers. Ethnic groups tend to gravitate to each other so the community would have grown.

 

[King of Kensington]

Yeah, it probably developed out of eastward migration from the prewar Greek community, located east of downtown. Though I believe a good number of Greeks settled around Bloor and Christie around 1960, but didn't stay there long.

 

[GKW]

I was still a little kid at the time but I remember when Italy won the World Cup in 1982 and there was big celebrations in the streets all around the area...also, does any remember an Italian supermarket on Danforth east of Pape, (where SDM is now) that was called Derrigo's or something?

 

[christiesplits]

Thanks King, GKW and Ex-Montreal for all the info.

King: I work with a Greek guy who grew up on Crawford and said there were a number of Greeks who attended Harbord with him in the late 80s. I can count two Greek restaurants that still remain between Dufferin and Ossington that might be part of that wave.

Ex-Montreal girl: There is still a sizeable number of Greeks who live in and around Thorncliffe Park and Flemingdon. I attended middle school in East York in the early 00s and many Greek parents who lived in Thorncliffe and Flemingdon would enrol their kids in my middle school because of the after-school Greek program. Interesting that you note that there were a lot of Greeks in Riverdale in the 1980s. I always associated Danforth Ave. as the southern "border" of the Greek community. Walking south down Logan or Carlaw it's hard to imagine you are mere blocks away from 'Greektown.'

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Walking south down Logan or Carlaw it's hard to imagine you are mere blocks away from 'Greektown.'

Perhaps in the past few years. But we lived in Riverdale, near Withrow Park, and there were at least five Greek families on our block that we knew of. This was in the 1990s.

Also, some of the businesses on Pape south of Danforth -- a dry cleaner, a men's tailor, John's video etc. -- were Greek-owned.

When Earl Grey marked its 100th a few years ago, I went in to check out the photo exhibit and, judging from the names, there was a heavy Greek student population in the 70s. Of course, they could have come from north of the Danforth.

 

[Skeezix]

I always thought that Spiro and Violeta at Bell's Cleaners on Pape, south of Danforth, were Greek, but they're actually Albanian.

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

That's possible. But I do remember a Greek woman there c. 1993-1995 before I switched to the awesome JB Cleaners further down.

 

[Skeezix]

Sure, maybe. Very likely Spiro and Violeta bought the business, as did that earlier Greek woman. I don't think any of them have Bell as a last name.

We'd never leave Bells, but I'll try JB next time Spiro and Violeta go on holiday and close the shop.

 

[AlbertHWagstaff]

I was still a little kid at the time but I remember when Italy won the World Cup in 1982 and there was big celebrations in the streets all around the area...also, does any remember an Italian supermarket on Danforth east of Pape, (where SDM is now) that was called Derrigo's or something?

It was Darrigo's or Darrigo Brothers. There were several Italian supermarkets between there and Woodbine - Bari (east of Greenwood), Jerry's (still there near Monarch Park), Loconte and Monte's (both east of Coxwell).

They closed Danforth from at least Greenwood to Woodbine for that 1982 World Cup win - you could hear the car horns until late into the night. There also used to be Italian festivals in Monarch Park once or twice every summer.

 

[King of Kensington]

Interesting that you note that there were a lot of Greeks in Riverdale in the 1980s. I always associated Danforth Ave. as the southern "border" of the Greek community. Walking south down Logan or Carlaw it's hard to imagine you are mere blocks away from 'Greektown.'

Yeah, the Greek generally has radiated northward from Danforth, into East York, but it's not surprising that some of the 60s/70s immigrants were living in Riverdale too.

Today Greektown feels maybe slightly more Greek than College St. feels Italian. It's interesting to note that New York's Greektown (Astoria, Queens) has seemed to hold up much better.

 

[Geo21]

I'm Greek on my mothers side, in regards to thorncliffe park the Greek community of Toronto offices are based there, the Greek Orthodox Church there is also one of the most popular in the city, you would think a sizeable community still resides there.

Its also true that the Greek stronghold areas have always been north of the danforth and continue to be, greektown has held up pretty well all things considering, I'd agree better than college st, pape ave north of the danforth all the way up to O'Connor is seriously underrated for its Greek offerings, in fact most Greeks basically consider that stretch as a continuation of greektown. In terms of general population East York is the main base for the Greek community, overall the Greek population as a whole still resides close enough to the danforth. Also you will find that a number of danforth shops may not trade with a Greek theme but are actually run by Greeks, particularly the 2nd and 3rd generation.

You can check out the Greek Canadian telephone guide business listing (type into Google) it will give you a list of every business that's run by Greeks in the city and you can search by street name, obviously the danforth rules, but much to my surprise pape came up with over 80 Greek businesses, a fair few along broadview, donlands etc as well.

 

[Geo21]

I always thought that Spiro and Violeta at Bell's Cleaners on Pape, south of Danforth, were Greek, but they're actually Albanian.

I believe they are Albanian but of Greek ethnicity.

 

[Skeezix]

I believe they are Albanian but of Greek ethnicity.

Maybe. They always call themselves Albanian.

 

[Ex-Montreal Girl]

Don't wish to be a thread nazi but now we're into Riverdale and East York instead of the East Danforth.

Geo21 you are correct. Go to the MacDo in the evening, and just about every table is taken up by Greeks gossiping and arguing. Men and women often sit separately.

Also, UT members have noted the arrival of many gyro places on Pape. My fave is Folia Grill just south of Cosburn and, for the record, I believe the owners are also Greek-Albanian.

But back to East Danforth. I walked a bit yesterday from about East Lynn Park to Coxwell and noted the remnants of many an Italian business. I also see a slow but steady gentrification. Two new (at least to me) storefronts on the south side caught my eye. One sells LPs. (The new one by Iron Maiden figured prominently in the window) and the other one -- I missed the name, something Animation -- had the coolest little "robots" in the window. They are assembled from junk: plumbing parts, old microphones, just about anything metallic. I have to go back when I have more time and check it out.