Neighbourhood Profiles

Corktown

Corktown is one of the more affordable downtown Toronto neighbourhoods. It has recently become popular with young professionals, who find this location extremely convenient to Toronto's downtown business and entertainment districts.

New and more relaxed zoning bylaws in the Corktown district have resulted in the speedy conversion of many of Corktown's commercial buildings into live-in work studios, condominium lofts and professional offices, all of which has helped to revitalize the entire neighbourhood.

HISTORY

Corktown was originally settled by working class immigrants in the early 1800's. Many of these families came from the County of Cork in Ireland, which explains how this neighbourhood became known as Corktown.

Most Corktown residents found employment at one of the local breweries or brickyards. These families were very poor and could not afford the lofty pew rents at nearby St. James Cathedral. This led to the building of their own “Little Trinity Church” in 1843. Little Trinity Church is still standing today at 417 King Street East.

The Trinity Schoolhouse on Trinity Street, just south of Little Trinity Church was built in 1848. This was Toronto's first 'free school'. Its benefactor was Enoch Turner, a prominent Corktown brewer, and one of Toronto's great philanthropists.

A century and a half later children and adults are still being educated in the Trinity Schoolhouse, which is now run as a museum designed to replicate a mid-nineteenth century classroom.

**The Toronto neighbourhood text profiles, sketches and maps displayed on this web site were originally published in “Your Guide to Toronto Neighbourhoods”, are © Maple Tree Publishing Inc. and have been reproduced by Toronto Real Estate Board under license.