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Moore Park Real Estate
This exclusive midtown neighbourhood was subdivided in 1889 as a Toronto suburb for the very wealthy. Its namesake and creator was John Thomas Moore of Markham, Ontario, who held many prominent positions in business and political circles. He was a principal in the Alberta Central Railway and its president in 1911, and vice-president of the Belt Line Railway, a commuter line which once served the rapidly expanding suburbs north and west of the City of Toronto.
Moore personally oversaw the construction of the Belt Line's showpiece station at Moore Park, predicting it would bring many buyers to his Moore Park subdivision. However, the Belt Line's eventual failure due to stiff competition and the economic times actually postponed the building of homes in Moore Park until the early 1900's. By the 1930's, Moore Park was completely developed, with English Cottage, Georgian, and Tudor-style houses being the primary construction styles of the day (although the neighbourhood now boasts many newer townhouses). Moore Park lots are generally quite large, and many of the houses back on to one of the ravines that skirt this neighbourhood.
For such a high end neighbourhood it is somewhat surprising that many of the houses have shared rather than private driveways, and smaller lots than those of other elite districts. However, the streets are so quiet and uncluttered that parking is not a problem. Now combined on the map with Rosedale, which occupies the bottom half of the district, development in the area has followed the natural contours of the existing ravines.
Moore Park is surrounded on all sides by natural barriers. To the north is the Mount Pleasant Cemetery, to the south is the Park Drive Ravine and the railway tracks, to the east is the Moore Park Ravine and to the west is the Vale of Avoca Ravine. The safe, winding streets help create an atmosphere of privacy, a quality valued in a district so close to the city core. With so much nature at its doorstep, and easy access to acclaimed public and private schools, it is not surprising that Moore Park is one of Toronto's most sought after neighbourhoods.
Moore Park residents do most of their shopping at either the Yonge and St. Clair or the Mount Pleasant and Davisville shopping districts. Both these areas are well known for their gourmet food shops and fine dining, and the busy Yonge/St. Clair area also has a wide variety of business and medical services, boutiques, and groceries catering to the busy professional. Moore Park residents who live in the more secluded south-east pocket of the neighbourhood can also walk across a railway overpass to the small collection of neighbourhood stores on Summerhill Avenue.
Nature and fitness enthusiasts derive year-round enjoyment from the Moore Park Ravine foot path, an eight-kilometre trail that passes through the Rosedale Ravine, the Mt. Pleasant cemetery, the Lower Don Trail to the old Don Valley Brickworks (which finally closed its kilns in 1988 after a run as one of Canada's oldest brick works). Moore Park Ravine follows Mud Creek, a small tributary of the Don River. Its thickly-wooded slopes and wetlands provide good opportunities for viewing birds and other wildlife in their natural habitat, and the adjacent Chorley Park is an excellent strolling park.
Moorevale Park, one block east of Mount Pleasant Road, has five tennis courts, a busy tennis club, a baseball diamond, and a wading pool. The Rosedale-Moore Park Association is located in Mooredale House, an old mansion at Crescent Road and Mount Pleasant, and provides a multitude of activities for both children and adults, including a swimming club and summer camps for children. For movie-goers, Moore Park is close to a number of theatres on Yonge Street, Eglinton Avenue, and Mount Pleasant Road.
Moore Park has bus service on St. Clair Avenue, Mount Pleasant Road and Moore Avenue. The Yonge and St. Clair subway station is within walking distance of many Moore Park houses. Motorists have quick access via Moore Avenue to both the Bayview Extension and the Don Valley Parkway.