[the lemur]

One thing that strikes me about Toronto when I am exploring the city or just looking at maps is the number of discontinuous streets. Sometimes the break between two parts of the same street is a rail line, a ravine, a park or a major highway. But there are a few situations that don't make much sense to me.

Rosemary Rd, for example, has this break in it between Ardmore Rd and Burton Rd that appears to be just a lot with trees in it.

From the north side it looks like a dead end:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rose...=2Yg3obEmM7DSXbw38kjqsw&cbp=12,163.18,,0,8.51

But from the south side it almost looks like that part of the street was made into a driveway:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rose...Z5okN9NTqCtv8JCYQm2VJQ&cbp=12,312.93,,0,15.32

Any ideas what might have happened?

Also, were the two halves of St Clair ever connected? Or was there a plan to connect them that was not carried out?

 

[dforthandbview]

Gerrard at Coxwell is a head-scratcher.

 

[the lemur]

I think the eastern section was once a completely different street, renamed for (not so obvious) convenience.

Leslie is another weird one.

Streets north and south of the rail line at Dupont are puzzling too looking at old maps I can see that planners intended ones like Markham and Huron to extend as far as St Clair, at least in terms of name, even if severed by the tracks.

 

[Johnny Au]

Look at Roselawn Avenue. Between Bathurst and just east of Marlee, it is Elm Ridge Drive (complete with a roundabout). Otherwise, Roselawn Avenue extends as far east as yonge and as far west as between Dufferin and Caledonia.

 

[junctionist]

In some cases in wealthy neighbourhoods, the streets might have been severed to keep them quiet and traffic free. In other cases, streets were severed by railway and other infrastructure construction--a crude approach that should be avoided as much as possible to maintain a functional grid. Also, some streets are the result of many smaller streets being combined, which wasn't possible or a priority in certain areas.

 

[W. K. Lis]

Even street names change when they should keep the same name.

York Mills Road and Wilson Avenue (and maybe Albion Road).

Keele Street and Parkside Drive (used to be Keele Street all the way to the fork with Indian Road at Lake Shore Blvd.), but name changed to sell houses in the subdivision east of High Park of the time).

Dupont Street and Annette Street. (Parts of Dupont Street was renamed from Royce and Van Horne.)

 

[the lemur]

Look at Roselawn Avenue. Between Bathurst and just east of Marlee, it is Elm Ridge Drive (complete with a roundabout). Otherwise, Roselawn Avenue extends as far east as yonge and as far west as between Dufferin and Caledonia.

Yes, good example. I didn't realize Roselawn was like that until the most recent time I went from Bathurst west to Castlefield (which is itself disconnected around Dufferin).

 

[the lemur]

In some cases in wealthy neighbourhoods, the streets might have been severed to keep them quiet and traffic free. In other cases, streets were severed by railway and other infrastructure construction--a crude approach that should be avoided as much as possible to maintain a functional grid. Also, some streets are the result of many smaller streets being combined, which wasn't possible or a priority in certain areas.

The smaller streets being combined often results in streets that don't run straight, or intersections that are offset.

Streets being severed to reduce traffic happened when Mt Pleasant was built (Clifton, Glenrose) and also where it was presumably decided that there were too many intersections or that an intersection was too complex (Vaughan/Dufferin/Eglinton or perhaps Moore Ave/Welland Dr/Hudson Ave).

There are even streets severed (for motor traffic, anyway) by the no longer extant Belt Line railway.

 

[Anna]

One thing that strikes me about Toronto when I am exploring the city or just looking at maps is the number of discontinuous streets. Sometimes the break between two parts of the same street is a rail line, a ravine, a park or a major highway. But there are a few situations that don't make much sense to me.

Rosemary Rd, for example, has this break in it between Ardmore Rd and Burton Rd that appears to be just a lot with trees in it.

From the north side it looks like a dead end:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rose...=2Yg3obEmM7DSXbw38kjqsw&cbp=12,163.18,,0,8.51

But from the south side it almost looks like that part of the street was made into a driveway:
https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Rose...Z5okN9NTqCtv8JCYQm2VJQ&cbp=12,312.93,,0,15.32

Any ideas what might have happened?

I think that south part is a private drive that was never part of Rosemary Road.
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2010/07/25/bronfmans_try_to_save_fence_around_mansion.html

From "F.P. Lloyd's Toronto and suburbs [with provincial ridings as of 1933 redistribution act overprinted]" (created by the Toronto Progressive Conservative Association)
View attachment 16883

Also, were the two halves of St Clair ever connected? Or was there a plan to connect them that was not carried out?

I think that was one of Rob Ford's campaign promises.

 

[Anna]

I think the eastern section was once a completely different street, renamed for (not so obvious) convenience.

Leslie is another weird one.

Streets north and south of the rail line at Dupont are puzzling too looking at old maps I can see that planners intended ones like Markham and Huron to extend as far as St Clair, at least in terms of name, even if severed by the tracks.

Donlands is the same concession road as Leslie. If you look at the 1924 Goad's, in the key plate Donlands is called Leslie, but in the detail plate it's called Donlands.There is also a little stub of Leslie that runs between Wicksteed and Vanderhoof.
http://goadstoronto.blogspot.ca/2013/01/1924-toronto-fire-insurance-map.html

 

[Electrify]

I'm going to take this opportunity to mention that I think that an irregular grid street plan is best. It provides a balance between the exciting complexity of medieval cities, and the functional design of the gridiron layout.

 

[Anna]

Even street names change when they should keep the same name.

York Mills Road and Wilson Avenue (and maybe Albion Road).

Keele Street and Parkside Drive (used to be Keele Street all the way to the fork with Indian Road at Lake Shore Blvd.), but name changed to sell houses in the subdivision east of High Park of the time).

Dupont Street and Annette Street. (Parts of Dupont Street was renamed from Royce and Van Horne.)

York Mills and Wilson weren't connected at Yonge until the late 60s/early 70s - around the same time the Yonge subway was extended, so I guess they figured it was too late to change the name. And when York Mills was connected to Ellesmere they did it with a third street name, Parkwoods Village Drive.

I think Van Horne was renamed Dupont when they eliminated the jog at Ossington in 1951.
And Carleton and College weren't renamed when they were connected.

 

[Anna]

Look at Roselawn Avenue. Between Bathurst and just east of Marlee, it is Elm Ridge Drive (complete with a roundabout). Otherwise, Roselawn Avenue extends as far east as yonge and as far west as between Dufferin and Caledonia.

I always thought that was a Forest Hill thing, but now I'm not so sure. From the same 1933 map.

 

[Anna]

The smaller streets being combined often results in streets that don't run straight, or intersections that are offset.

Streets being severed to reduce traffic happened when Mt Pleasant was built (Clifton, Glenrose) and also where it was presumably decided that there were too many intersections or that an intersection was too complex (Vaughan/Dufferin/Eglinton or perhaps Moore Ave/Welland Dr/Hudson Ave).

There are even streets severed (for motor traffic, anyway) by the no longer extant Belt Line railway.

I remember when Hudson Drive wasn't blocked off at Moore.

Mount Pleasant north of the cemetery joined up a couple of smaller streets - that's why there's that separate bit to the east between Balliol and Davisville - and it ended at the ravine just north of Blythwood. The part north of Lawrence had a different name - Hilda Ave - and I have no idea why they renamed it Mount Pleasant - because that Mount Pleasant/Lawrence intersection is just weird.

 

[Johnny Au]

Lyon Avenue was straightened to become Marlee Avenue. Rosebury Road was replaced with the Allen Expressway (the Rosebury name lives on though as the mini-shopping plaza named Rosebury Plaza at Marlee and Ridelle).