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32-481: It is located at University and Queen Street in the city's downtown core . Work on the new headquarters of the Canada Life Assurance Company began in 1929 and it opened in 1931. It was the fourth building to serve as the headquarters of Canada Life, Canada's oldest, and at the time largest insurance company. Previously it had been housed in offices at Bay and King Street. The Beaux Arts structure

64-562: A bylaw. A portion of the University line portion of the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line runs the length of University Avenue. University Avenue was originally made up of two streets, College Avenue and University Street, and separated by a fence, but it was eventually removed and the streets were merged. The merged street ended at Queen Street until 1931, when it was extended southward to Front Street. After World War Two

96-418: A sort of 'driving park' to access the new public lands. The path to the west of Manning Avenue was blocked by William Wakefield, who owned the land beyond and was holding out for a high sale price. The purchase of Wakefield's land did not take place until 1879. The right-of-way purchased through Wakefield's land was the standard 66 feet (20 m) width, rather than the 100 ft width to the east. The cost of

128-467: Is a 16-floor addition to the campus, built south-west of the original. It connects to the rest of the campus through an underground loading dock area. It totals 16 floors and was designed by Kuwabara Payne McKenna . It was completed in 2005. University Avenue (Toronto) University Avenue is a major north–south road in Downtown Toronto , Ontario , Canada. Beginning at Front Street West in

160-506: Is a principal arterial thoroughfare in downtown Toronto , Canada, connecting former streetcar suburbs in the west with the city centre . The street is home to an ethnically diverse population in the western residential reaches, and institutions like the Ontario Legislature and the University of Toronto in the downtown core . At Yonge Street , College continues to the east as Carlton Street . College Street takes its name from

192-459: Is home to a variety of computer stores, known as a destination for cheap computer parts. This stretch of College also forms the northern border of Kensington Market . West of Bathurst Street , College is the heart of Toronto's Little Italy and is dotted with restaurants and trendy bars. Further west, College is primarily residential. The Toronto Transit Commission 's 506 Carlton streetcar route runs along College and Carlton Streets. College

224-417: Is not located on University Avenue but instead on neighboring St. George Street. University Avenue begins at the intersection of Front and York streets near Union Station and heads northwest for a short distance before turning north. Lanes on the left ends as ramp to underground parking garage. At Adelaide Street West, the avenue divides slightly, leaving room for a median of greenery and sculptures between

256-674: The Royal Ontario Museum , at Bloor Street, to the green space that surround Osgoode Hall , on Queen Street. When the greenspace around Osgoode Hall, and adjacent Nathan Phillips Square , and Queen's Park , surrounding the legislature are counted, University Avenue Park would connect 90 acres (36 hectares) of greenspace and public space. The plans include restoring a section of Taddle Creek that once flowed beside University Avenue. University Avenue features many landmark buildings and monuments. Some of these include (from south to north): College Street (Toronto) College Street

288-420: The University of Toronto , originally King's College. Between Spadina Avenue and Yonge Street, College marks the southern boundary of the original 1827 land grant for the college. The street was immediately proposed as an east-west route along the boundary, although the section was not built until 1859. The first section built was to the west of Spadina Avenue, through the estate of Robert Baldwin , who laid out

320-484: The 1920s. The intersection at Yonge Street is dominated by the landmark College Park complex, which once housed an Eaton's department store . This historic building is now used for retail, office, and residential purposes. At University Avenue , College traverses a major institutional district, with the Ontario Legislature , the University of Toronto , and the MaRS Discovery District marking one of

352-474: The Toronto region. The building is perhaps best known for its weather beacon , whose colour codes provide summarized weather forecasts at a glance. The information is updated four times every day by Environment Canada 's Weather Centre at Toronto Pearson International Airport . The forecast is for the next 4 hours. The top light shows: The white lights along the support tower show: Forecast Period: The beacon

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384-414: The avenue was transformed. Trees were cut down and four lanes, in each direction, were devoted to cars and trucks. A central median has some trees, monuments, and park benches, which are lightly used, because strollers are surrounded by noisy traffic. In 2020 the city changed how lanes were allocated on University Avenue's pavement. Only two lanes, per direction, were devoted to cars and trucks. A lane

416-438: The campus, built directly west of the original. It connects to the original building through two enclosed, elevated walkways . Currently, only the 2nd floor walkway is used to move between the buildings. It was completed in 1970. 180 Simcoe Street is a 12-floor addition to the campus, built directly south of 190 Simcoe Street. It connects to 190 Simcoe Street through a short walkway. It was completed in 1994. Canada Life Tower

448-627: The city's most important and historic intersections. The district also features a concentration of teaching hospitals, including Toronto General Hospital , the Hospital for Sick Children , Princess Margaret Cancer Centre , Mount Sinai Hospital , and Toronto Rehab . Between University and Spadina Avenue , the street bounds the Grange Park neighbourhood to the south, a mixed-residential area with student housing and historic residences such as George Brown House . The intersection at Spadina Avenue represents

480-403: The commercial sector, notably major financial and insurance industry firms. The portion of University Avenue between Queen Street West and College Street is laid out as a boulevard , with several memorials, statues, gardens, and fountains concentrated in a landscaped median dividing the opposite directions of travel, giving it a ceremonial character. Despite its name, the University of Toronto

512-493: The home of the Ontario Legislative Building . This landmark creates a terminating vista for those looking north along University. The legislature's site was originally home to the main building of the University of Toronto , and this is the origin of the avenue's name. Today, the university surrounds the legislature building. Queen's Park Crescent is a single street north to Bloor Street. North of Bloor Street ,

544-556: The intersection of University Avenue and Queen Street was completed in 2006 and is the home of the Canadian Opera Company and the National Ballet of Canada . Osgoode Hall presents stately architecture and a welcome green space. During the holiday season, festive lights illuminate the trees and shrubs of the boulevard. Unlike most major streets in Toronto, there are no rooftop billboards visible from University Avenue due to

576-661: The jog at Front and York streets) to eight lanes wide (just past the divide past Adelaide Street). The speed limit is 40 km/h below Gerrard St, reduced from 50 km/h. The speed limit was reduced from 60 to 50 in May–June 2009. The northernmost part of the street is dominated by a series of hospitals including Toronto General Hospital , Mount Sinai Hospital , the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre , Toronto Rehabilitation Institute , and The Hospital for Sick Children . The concentration of hospitals on this portion of

608-533: The land may have been a factor. Building the route west of Clinton Street was a challenge in the 1880s. At the time, a direct line west would have traveled through the ravines of Garrison and Brewery Creeks as far as Dufferin Street , the western city limit at the time. Instead, the road was rerouted along a north-western crescent running parallel to the creeks. The route then proceeded straight as far west as Havelock Street, just east of Dufferin. At Havelock Street,

640-414: The line to High Park did not begin until 1897, after a citywide plebiscite was held on the issue of Sunday streetcar operation. The streetcar led to the development of residential sub-divisions on both sides, with street frontages actually empty. The frontages were used for billboards, with development on the street only filling up the lots on both sides by World War I , although some vacant lots existed into

672-405: The north and southbound lanes. Southbound University runs diagonally to meet with York Street at Front Street West then continues south as York Street to Queens Quay and ends as a driveway signed as Harbour Square . The avenue ends at College Street , where it splits into Queen's Park Crescent East (northbound) and Queen's Park Crescent West (southbound). Between these two roads is Queen's Park ,

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704-399: The northern boundary of the city's principal Chinatown , as well as the western boundary of the university. The intersection is marked by the focal point of 1 Spadina Crescent in a roundabout to the north, and a complex rail interchange where the busy 510 Spadina streetcar route, running on a dedicated right-of-way , meets the 506 Carlton route. The section of College west of Spadina

736-424: The presence of hospitals and insurance offices...the pristine display of wall-to-wall concrete that ran from Front Street to Queen's Park." University Avenue has matured and mellowed somewhat since Berton's unfavourable observation, though paving is still characterized by poured concrete and asphalt for most sidewalks and roadway. Restaurants now dot the southern end of University Avenue. The Four Seasons Centre at

768-404: The right-of-way intersected the property of Charles Lindsay. The alignment of College Street would have bisected his property, leaving unsaleable lot sizes on the south side of College. Lindsay was able to convince the city to reroute around his property to the north, with a 'kink' that exists to this day. After the suburb of Brockton was annexed in the 1880s, the final section of College Street

800-439: The road continues as Avenue Road . University Avenue and Avenue Road were once designated as Highway 11A . While Yonge Street is the emotional heart of the city and Bay Street the financial hub , University Avenue is Toronto's most ceremonial thoroughfare, with many of the city's most prominent institutions. The boulevard is unusually wide for Canadian cities (except for Winnipeg ), as it expands from 6 lanes wide (just past

832-452: The route. This section was built with the 100 feet (30 m) that was also used for Spadina. The section through Baldwin's estate was laid out in 1842, and the wide section was extended to Manning Avenue through the Denison and Crookshank estates. After John Howard made the 1873 land grant which would become High Park , the Denison family proposed that the city extend College Street west as

864-508: The south, the thoroughfare heads north to end at College Street just south of Queen's Park . At its north end, the Ontario Legislative Building serves as a prominent terminating vista . Many of Toronto's most important institutions are located along the eight-lane wide street such as Osgoode Hall and other legal institutions, the Four Seasons Centre , major hospitals conducting research and teaching, and landmark office buildings for

896-470: The street has led to it being given the nickname "Hospital Row" by locals and the media. The intersection of University and College is also home to the headquarters of Ontario Power Generation . The rest of the street is home to a variety of corporate offices and government buildings. Historically, this imposing street has been met with mixed reviews. Noted Canadian author and historian Pierre Berton commented that University Avenue "was rendered antiseptic by

928-717: Was built to Lansdowne Avenue in 1886. It was expected that College would be extended further, but just west of Lansdowne the rail lines created a barrier. A precursor to an extended College Street, called Grenadier Road, was laid out in the Roncesvalles district, and on the west side of High Park in Swansea (now Morningside) as well as a section in Etobicoke (now Berry Road), but connections to those streets were never made. Streetcar service extended as far west as Dufferin by 1889, and (via Dundas Street) to High Park by 1893. Sunday operation of

960-403: Was devoted to parking, and room was made for a bicycle lane. According to The Globe and Mail it has been proposed to return approximately half of the width of the broad avenue to parkland. The 9.5 acres (3.8 hectares) of parkland would cost $ 230 million, compared with the anticipated $ 1.7 billion cost for the proposed Rail Deck Park 's 20 acres (8.1 hectares). The park would extend from

992-578: Was the first of a series of planned structures along University Avenue, but the Great Depression halted these plans. When it was completed it was one of the tallest buildings in Toronto. It remains one of the largest office buildings in Toronto with windows that can be opened by its occupants. The building also houses the majority of the Civil operations of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice for

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1024-570: Was the first of its kind to appear in Canada and was built at a cost of $ 25,000 (equivalent to $ 276,585 in 2023). The top of the beacon tower stands 321 feet (97.8 m) above University Avenue and, when completed on August 9, 1951, made the structure the third-highest in Toronto, after the Canadian Bank of Commerce Building and the Royal York Hotel . 190 Simcoe Street is a 9-floor addition to

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