News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 02, 2020
A Message to Our Readers
 8.5K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
EarthCam Time-Lapse Documents Rafael Viñoly-Designed New Stanford Hospital Construction
 39K     0 
News   GLOBAL  |  Apr 01, 2020
Resort Town
 4.7K     0 

580-592 Kingston Rd.

580-592 Kingston Road

I'm surprised there is nothing on the site in the project node about this, since the proposed 6-storey condo has caused such controversy before and since last municipal elections. There have been community fundraisers, local and citywide newspaper articles written on the site and plenty of local discussion in the east end on this topic. Either the project node or this under-used Upper Beach node would be appropriate places to discuss or add links to info for those interested. If you are searching for info on the net, most relevant links will come up if you search under Friends of Glen Davis Ravine. There does not seem to be a similar "friends of Kingston Road" group, although poor old Kingston Rd. needs one too. Perhaps something wonderful will come from this most recent upsurge in interest in things Kingston.
 
Last edited:
 
How do you pronounce Benlamond Ave?

James Lamond Smith and Benjamin Morton were the instigators and developers of the hamlet located in east Toronto called Benlamond, which soon became amalgamated into the Village of East Toronto (1888-1908). Lamond Smith's surname originated from the Gaelic "Laomann" (beacon) which gives us his surname as well as Scottish placenames such as the famous and storied Ben Lomond (trans. mount Laomann or "lomond") and Loch Lomond (lake Laomann or "lomond"). The forms "lomond" and "lamond" are English variant spellings of the Gaelic name "laomann". English pronunciations are either /LAMund/ or /LOHMund/. It is obvious that Lamond Smith was making a pun of his surname and the famous placenames of Scotland. The avenue was named Benlamond (harking back to Ben Lomond, Loch Lomond and the surname Lamond). Translated, Benlamond means "beacon mountain".

In any case, the anglicized pronunciation of Lamond is /LAMund/, rhyming with Eng. words like "salmon" or the first two words of "ham and cheese". It is disconcerting to hear our local bus (the Main St. 64) blurt out "Ben le MONDE" (en français) each trip north or southbound daily instead of "BenLAMund". You might say that it doesn't matter, but the mispronunciation is as jarring to the ears as someone pronouncing "euphony" as "You Phoney!".

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription: /bƐn ‘læmƏnd/
 
Last edited:
tahir44 said:
As well, if you recognize the "Upper Beach" distinction, how would you determine its borders? Kingston Rd to Gerrard, Coxwell to Vic Park? And where does the Higher Beach(es) change into Riverdale/Leslieville?

I know the limitations of particular neighbhourhoods has started issue on UT, so I trust this would carry on such conversation.
Click to expand...

I think most agree that the Upper Beach area borders are: West=Coxwell (or Woodbine), East=Victoria Park, North=CN Railroad tracks north of Gerrard, South=Kingston Rd.

It seems the only question is whether the Upper Beach area extends west of Woodbine to Coxwell. I walk these streets every day and would certaily agree that the character of houses and general vibe is the the same right from Coxwell eastward. As we discussed earlier in this thread, the City's name and divisions are slightly different. For them, this area is called "East End-Danforth" and does not go west of Woodbine. East End-Danforth also extends a block or two north of Danforth to include what people are calling Danforth Village.
 
Last edited:
Let me get this straight, Gerrard and Woodbine, which is 1.7km from the beaches, is the upper beaches.
So I guess Dundas Square, which is 1.7km from central waterfront as well, should be called an "upper waterfront neighbourhood". Or Parliament/Dundas should be called the "Upper St Lawrence Market"?

Usually it is those neighbourhood lacking an identity which desperately want to associate itself with a distinguished community.
 
kkgg7 said:
Let me get this straight, Gerrard and Woodbine, which is 1.7km from the beaches, is the upper beaches.
Click to expand...
And why not - the ridge that runs south of the tracks (near the northern limit of the Upper Beach area) is the old beach from glacial Lake Iroquois. You only have to start digging in the garden anywhere in this area, and what you find is sand. The name - as crass as it is, certainly matches the geology.
 
nfitz said:
And why not - the ridge that runs south of the tracks (near the northern limit of the Upper Beach area) is the old beach from glacial Lake Iroquois. You only have to start digging in the garden anywhere in this area, and what you find is sand. The name - as crass as it is, certainly matches the geology.
Click to expand...

it really doesn't matter geologically. When you need to walk for more than a mile to see the water, you are not in the "beaches". I live exactly 1km from the Lake, but I won't be crazy enough to say I live in a "waterfront condo".
 
"Upper Beaches" is a real estate agent term. It didn't come into vogue until the late 80s / early 90s. Until that era and I know this from growing up there, it was called East Toronto (and anyone growing up there would have known this because it was part of your elementary school education -not that having a Main St. wouldn't be an indication either) because that's the town it was incorporated as before it was usurped by the City of Toronto.

It has a very different feel from the Beaches (or did at least then). Upper Beachers or East Torontonians would rarely hang on Queen E. either unless it was to use the actual beach and its facilities. They were more likely to go to the Coxwell and Gerrard area for shopping or when that neighborhood changed to the Danforth. One of the big loses to the neighborhood in the early 80s was the Butcher shop. The first time I ever tasted supermarket meat was disappointing to say the least.

I also noticed that Beaches children always seemed a little more provincial than East Toronto kids in that they never left Queen St. whereas East Torontonians tended to be more connected to the city as a whole.

And for the record I grew up saying BEN LA MONDE but corrected it as I got older to BEN LAMOND
 
Last edited:
OttoSchloss said:
"Upper Beaches" is a real estate agent term. It didn't come into vogue until the late 80s / early 90s. Until that era and I know this from growing up there, it was called East Toronto (and anyone growing up there would have known this because it was part of your elementary school education -not that having a Main St. wouldn't be an indication either) because that's the town it was incorporated as before it was usurped by the City of Toronto.

It has a very different feel from the Beaches (or did at least then). Upper Beachers or East Torontonians would rarely hang on Queen E. either unless it was to use the actual beach and its facilities. They were more likely to go to the Coxwell and Gerrard area for shopping or when that neighborhood changed to the Danforth. One of the big loses to the neighborhood in the early 80s was the Butcher shop. The first time I ever tasted supermarket meat was disappointing to say the least.

I also noticed that Beaches children always seemed a little more provincial than East Toronto kids in that they never left Queen St. whereas East Torontonians tended to be more connected to the city as a whole.

And for the record I grew up saying BEN LA MONDE but corrected it as I got older to BEN LAMOND
Click to expand...

Great post; thanks. It's great to hear from people who grew up in the neighborhood. As I said in an earlier post this year, I am succumbing to the name Upper Beach for lack of common usage of anything else at this point. Even Perly's and Google Maps use the Upper Beach label (but with -es on the end, but that's the topic of another post!). I know someone who grew up on Gainsborough (Coxwell/upper Gerrard) who told me that they simply referred to themselves as East Enders when she was a kid. When I tell people where I live, I usually begin by saying I live in "the east end" or "East Toronto", but a typical response I get is something like "do you mean Scarborough?" So I find I need to add the qualifier, "no, the Upper Beach" before they know where I am talking about.
 
Last edited:
kkgg7 said:
it really doesn't matter geologically. When you need to walk for more than a mile to see the water, you are not in the "beaches". I live exactly 1km from the Lake, but I won't be crazy enough to say I live in a "waterfront condo".
Click to expand...
Is there any subject here that you won't come in and take an opposing view and post it?

Of course, the word for doing that is trolling.
 
nfitz said:
Is there any subject here that you won't come in and take an opposing view and post it?

Of course, the word for doing that is trolling.
Click to expand...

It is not right to label people like this.

I don't oppose every post, in fact, there are many threads I have agreed with many members. I just happen to enjoy more in arguing with views I don't agree with, does that make me a troll? What's the point of coming to a forum where everyone agrees with each other?

For this particular thread, I still think it is silly to call a neighbourhood more than 1 mile away from any water "the beaches".
 
kkgg7 said:
For this particular thread, I still think it is silly to call a neighbourhood more than 1 mile away from any water "the beaches".
Click to expand...
What is the point in coming into a thread, simply to argue about the name of a neighbourhood.

Everyone thinks it's silly - that discussion has been had a 100 times. But the name stuck years ago, so what's the point of arguing about it now?

Do you have any interest in the neighbourhood, or did you simply scan down the list of active threads, to see which one you could do the best fishing in?

And I don't see the big deal pointing out that your fishing for a reaction, if you do appear to be angling. It's not like it's name-calling or anything, gheez ...
 
For the record, I believe there are parts of various "Beach" municipalities (Newport, Manhattan, Hermosa, etc) that are more than a mile from any beach in question. Likewise, most of Niagara Falls is more than a mile from its namesake.
 
A recent development in the area, is the new Gerrard Woodbine Neighbourhood Association - http://www.gerrardwoodbine.com/

There's a meeting (they call it gathering, I think they want to avoid much structure) tonight, at the Naval Club on upper Gerrard at 7:30 pm tonight - 1910 Gerrard St. E.

After the meeting, the new owner of 763-765 Woodbine Avenue & 1945-1955 Gerrard Street East where an 8-story condo has been approved, will be giving a presentation on the current plans for the property. Though he's pretty much got the upper hand, given the previous owner got OMB approval 3 years ago - http://www.omb.gov.on.ca/e-decisions/pl080819-Dec-18-2009.pdf
 
You must log in or register to post here.

Back
Top