Neighbourhood Profiles

Lawrence Park

Lawrence Park is one of Toronto's most exclusive residential neighbourhoods. It is located in a very peaceful and tranquil setting that includes gently rolling hills, winding roads and a lush topography.

Lawrence Park's shops, schools, and recreational facilities are located on its periphery, which keeps traffic on the residential streets to a minimum.

HISTORY

The Lawrence Park subdivision was assembled in 1907 by the Dovercourt Land Building and Saving Company. The Dovercourt Land Company acquired the north parcel of Lawrence Park from John Lawrence, after whom this neighbourhood is named.

Wilfred Servington Dinnick was the president of the Dovercourt Land Company. It was under Dinnick's direction that Lawrence Park was developed as a suburb for the ‘well to do’.

The first advertisement for Lawrence Park trumpeted it as an ‘aristocratic neighbourhood’, ‘four hundred feet above Lake Ontario’, and ‘Far from the Lake Winds in Winter’.

Despite all its fanfare, Lawrence Park's development was sporadic. The building of houses was interrupted by two world wars, a recession, and a depression. It wasn't until the 1950's that this neighbourhood was completely developed.

**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.