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I Grew Up In Don Mills

This wiki is for those of us who grew up in the Don Mills area of Ontario, Canada.
Can you remember:
- when Don Mills Road was only 4 lanes wide?
- Can you remember when there was a BA gas station on Don Mills Road between Lawrence & York Mills?
- Can you remember when Don Mills Center was an open air mall?
- Can you remember when "The Beer Store" was "Brewers Retail"?
- Can you remember the bowling alley? movie theater? curling rink/bingo hall bubble?...
What else can you remember?

Rather than present a lot of statistics and your typical reference material, this wiki provides a lot of information that is not necessarily documented anywhere. It is more of a pop culture diary, if you will, or a newspaper account of the evolution of Don Mills.

To be sure, the stage is set with some basic information about the area. However, within these pages, we'll rebuild Don Mills the way that it was planned to be -- the way that everybody fondly recalls. Included are names and photos of companies that once were, so that you can almost see what Don Mills used to look like.

You'll hear about the tragedies and successes that have affected everyone in the community.  There is also some trivia here that you simply won't hear of elsewhere.

One underlying theme that will repeat throughout these pages, is a great sense of pride and, oftentimes, a great longing to return to the way it was.

Even Santa Claus, in a Globe & Mail interview, said that his favourite thing about Toronto is the split-level bungalows in Don Mills.

Enjoy this stroll down memory lane with those of us who Grew Up In Don Mills.

Be sure to use the Search feature (top right of every page), if you're looking for something in particular. And, don't forget to visit our News page.

A little background

Don Mills boasts the pride of being Canada's first planned community.  Construction of the first houses began in 1953, building what would become a self-supporting new town, at the time, just outside of Toronto proper. It was to consist of residential, commercial and industrial areas.  The design was so successful that towns across Canada -- and around the world -- followed its model.

In 1951, industrialist E.P. Taylor began planning the Yorktown community (as it was first known), and it was announced on March 11, 1953. The community was to be built on about 8.35 km2 (3.22 sq mi) of farmland centered at the intersection of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue East, with an expected cost of $200 million.

Don Mills' design was based on five planning principles, which had not been implemented in Canada before: the neighbourhood principle; separation of pedestrian and vehicle traffic; promotion of modernist architecture and the modern aesthetic; creation of a greenbelt; and, integration of industry into the community.

Homes were located on square lots with long street frontages, meaning that houses faced the street with their long side, but had less deep backyards.

The developers also affected two highway projects being developed concurrently. The 'Toronto Bypass', now known as Ontario Highway 401 does not have an interchange at Don Mills Road due to the development. The Don Valley Parkway (DVP), built in part to service the community, was originally to be built on Don Mills Road, but was moved East to the Woodbine Avenue right-of-way north of Lawrence Avenue.

Check here for some information about the selection of names for streets, parks, etc.

Chronology

Date	Description
1924	Small grant for Don Mills Library
1947	Edward Plunket Taylor purchases 682 acres of land around Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue with the intention of moving one of his companies, O'Keefe Brewery, to the location.
1951	IBM builds its first Don Mills plant.
1952	E. P Taylor and his business partner, Karl C. Fraser, purchase 1,000 acres in 31 parcels to develop a multi-million-dollar parcel of land.
March 1952	Details of the plans for developing Don Mills are made public at a media conference.
May 8, 1953	Construction begins on the first home on Jocelyn Crescent. At the time, homes sold for $12,000 ($1,000 extra for a car park). Monthly rent for a three-bedroom garden home was $125.
October 1953	First residents move into homes on Jocelyn Crescent.
1953	The Barber-Greene Canada Ltd. plant was designed by architect John Layng in 1953.
1954	Hurricane Hazel
1954	Construction of the Barber-Greene Canada Ltd. plant was completed.
1954	Construction of the Hugh C. McClean Publications Ltd. building (Weir & Cripps)
early 1950s	Greenwin began residential development in Don Mills
1954	Norman Ingram Memorial Public School opens its doors and is the community's first public elementary school.
1954	First Koffler Drug Store (now Shoppers Drug Mart) opens at York Mills and Bayview Avenue.
1955	Ortho Pharmaceutical Plant and Offices built (John B. Parkin & Associates), 19 Greenbelt Drive.
1955	Grand & Toy surprises many by building an enormous headquarters and warehouse on Wynford Drive.
1955	R. E. Edwards purchased site of the first Alexander Milne woollen mill and began to build Edwards Gardens.
1955	Don Mills Convenience Centre opens (John B. Parkin Associates, Macklin Hancock Landscape Architect)
1955	Dominion grocery store opens at Don Mills Centre.
1956	Hwy. 401 is completed. The highway bypass was located between York Mills and Don Mills Road.
1956	Edwards Gardens opens.
1956	John B Parkin & Associates Offices built.
1956	South Hills Village (James A. Murray & Henry Fleiss) is modeled on Pittsburgh’s Chatham Village. (http://archives.chbooks.com/online_books/eastwest/158.html)
1957	The Don Mills Mirror hits the streets. Started by Russ Eastcott, 30, and Ken Larone, 22.  The Don Mills Mirror was partly financed by Koffler Drugs Stores and distributed at the two stores.
April 25, 1957	The Don Mills Mirror Community paper first hit the presses.
1958	Greenbelt Heights Village (Belcourt and Blair, 1958); used South Hills Village as a model.(http://archives.chbooks.com/online_books/eastwest/158.html)
Nov 4, 1958	Don Mills Collegiate Institute and Junior High School construction begins (John B. Parkin & Associates, 1958) 15-17the Donway East
1959	First puck drops at the Don Mills Civitan Arena.
1959	By 1959 Don Mills Centre had 4,000 parking spaces and 53 businesses.
Sept 8, 1959	Don Mills Collegiate Institute opened it doors to a student body of 500 students and a teaching staff of 27.
Sept 11, 1959	Mr. Ko opened his store in Don Mills Plaza
Oct. 22, 1959	SCHOOL SET TO OPEN - Don Mills Collegiate's officials opening is in the final stages of preparation. With one month to go, it appears the building will be completed when Premier Leslie Frost performs the opening ceremonies. [ NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" Oct 20 2004]
Oct. 29, 1959	FIRST GRADUATION - The first graduating class from York Mills Collegiate will be honoured Friday night. Honour graduation diplomas will be presented to 45 students from Victoria Village, Don Mills and York Mills. Another 88 students will receive secondary school graduation diplomas. Certificates of distinction will be presented to students with averages higher than 75 per cent. [ NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" Oct 27 2004]
Nov 26, 1959	It is expected carpenters have left the building and a full school operation will be in effect. Principal G.B. Maher said there have been two assemblies held in the cafetorium since the conversion benches have been installed. Although there is no sound booth, stage curtain, nor lighting facilities, the auditorium is now functional. Maher expects an early finishing date for the kitchen. Students are still carrying lunches, but get their milk supplied in the cafeteria. [ NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" Oct 20 2004]
Dec. 17, 1959	HERE COMES THE BUS - Cheers and jeers greeted a new Don Mills bus route this week.Opposition to the east-west bus came from residents on the street where the bus travels. The rest of the citizens seem pleased. Carel van der Hyden, chair of the Don Mills Community Association, says the majority of people appreciate the new bus route. However, 46-year-old resident Mrs. J. N. Brown says because the route travels along streets with no sidewalks, the safety of children is at risk. [ NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" 15 Dec 2004]
Dec. 17, 1959	DUTCH ELM DEADLY - Dutch elm disease has infested the area. K. B. Turner of 24 Greenland Rd., told members of the Parkway West Residents' Association Monday that Don Mills is well known for its high fatality rate in elms from Dutch elm disease. Turner is a forestry graduate employed by the Ontario department of lands and forests. He said residents with elms might find them costly to save. [NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" 22 Dec 2004]
1960	Most of the apartments are completed. Don Mills is more than 95 per cent complete. Residents living in more than 200 differently designed homes.
1960	Don Mills Hockey Association is founded.  Operates AAA teams from Minor Atom to Midget. Offering information on teams, schedules, tournaments, and history.
March 24, 1960	LIBRARY ON THE BOOKS - Hopes for a library in the Don Mills area have reached a new peak this year. There have been talks of selling township property to raise some of the money. Reeve Norman Goodhead and Councillor Donald Aldcorn revealed the plan during a special meeting with representatives of the Don Mills library committee. [NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" 30 Mar 2005]
1961	Don Valley Parkway opens connecting with Don Mills Road.
1961	Eaton's opens its first suburban store at Don Mills Centre.
Sept 1961	Don Mills Junior High (now Don Mills Middle School) opens.
Nov 1961	Don Mills branch of the North York Public Library opens its doors.
1963	Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre spends $600,000 on its building and garden. Prize-winning architect and planner Raymond Moriyama designed this building.
1964	Don Mills Public Library is upgraded and expanded.
1964	Northern Dancer won the Kentucky Derby - Preakness and Queen's Plate
Oct 21, 1964	SHADES OF PERDITA - Marian Snider, the Don Mills Track Club star, may need plastic surgery after tripping in the women's 80-metre hurdle qualifying event at the Olympics in Tokyo. She slammed into a hurdle and was taken to hospital.
1965	Inn on the Park opens.
1969	Ontario Science Centre opens.  Prize-winning architect and planner Raymond Moriyama designed this building.
1969	Don Mills Road is widened.
1970	Vacant Christian Brothers College is vandalized. The 125-room college was used for 20 years as a "house of formation" north of Avonwick and Beveridge. It was set to be demolished shortly after.
April 1, 1970	SPACE AVAILABLE - Don Mills residents have a chance to acquire a community centre if someone can come up with $250,000. That's the price tag that has been put on Beth El Synagogue by its board of directors. Beth El has announced plans to amalgamate with Temple Emanu-El, on Old Colony Road, Willowdale, and as a result will be putting its building up for sale. The idea of turning the synagogue into a community centre was brought to The Mirror's attention by Mrs. Muriel Goldees. [NY Mirror "Our Back Pages" 06 Apr 2005]
1971	Inn on the Park's 23-storey tower was built
1972	Industrial area of Wynford Drive now stands where farms once did.
1974	The Prince Hotel opened.
1976	E.P. Taylor Place Senior Adult Centre opens.
late 1970's	Ko's opened a second store called KO'S TOO-The Bed and Bath Shop
February 1981	The Don Mills Mirror is renamed The North York Mirror.
1986	David Duncan farmhouse moved from original location (866 York Mills Rd, now the Prince Hotel) to present-day location at 125 Moatfield Drive, where it becomes an upscale restaurant.
1986	Hundreds of apartments are demolished in the community.  Replaced by two new condominiums.
1986	Bowling alley is demolished. Replaced by a strip mall (895 Lawrence Avenue East).
1986	Movie theatre and curling rink are demolished.  Replaced by a strip mall (49 The Donway West).
1997	Ontario Heritage Foundation designates Don Mills as a heritage site that used integral and consistent planning principles.
May 31, 2006	Last day Don Mills Centre is open.  Demolition started soon after.
2006	Inn on the Park is demolished.
January 30, 2007	In celebration of February's White Cane Week, an audible pedestrian signal will be installed at the intersection of Don Mills Road and Lawrence Avenue Tuesday .
May 17, 2008	A three-alarm fire engulfs an apartment complex at 50 Green Belt Dr., near Don Mills Rd. and Lawrence Ave. An autopsy revealed the causes of death of three people were involved in a ghastly double murder-suicide.
April 22, 2009	Shops at Don Mills opens.
Dec 29, 2009	The closing of McNally Robinson signals trouble for the Shops at Don Mills. Turns out outdoor malls and Toronto winters don't mix. Go figure.
March 1, 2010	Hashimoto Japanese restaurant opens at the Japanese Cultural Centre
2011	Mystery ruins are discovered in ravine near Duncan Mill Road – what purpose did they once serve?
January 15, 2014	Ko's to close their Don Mills store

Our Community

SCHOOLS: The local high school is Don Mills Collegiate Institute, which opened in 1959. Elementary/public schools include: Norman Ingram Memorial School; Mallow Road Public School (now home to La Citadelle); Overland Public School (now Overland Learning Centre); Denlow Public School, Rippleton Public School and Greenland Road Public School.  There are a number of private schools in the area, including The Giles School; and, Seneca Hill Private School. There are also a number of Montessori schools as well as countless daycare centres.

CHURCHES: Churches are abundant in Don Mills, catering to every religion.

SHOPPING and ENTERTAINMENT: The main shopping centre is the Shops at Don Mills, a large mall located at the southwest corner of Lawrence Avenue and Don Mills Road on the site of the former Don Mills Centre. There is a strip mall at 895 Lawrence Avenue East which used to be the location of the bowling alley/pool hall.  There is another strip mall at 170 The Donway West.  There was a strip mall at 49 The Donway West, once the site of the curling ring/bingo hall.  Barber Greene Square, which is currently being redeveloped, is at the intersection of Barber Greene Road and Don Mills Road. Loblaws Real Canadian Superstore is at the corner of Don Mills Road and Wynford Drive.  A new retail and commercial centre, The Diamond at Don Mills,is currently under development (as at October 2013, ) is at Mallard Road and Don Mills Road.

DINING AND NIGHTLIFE: Katsura Japanese Restaurant; David Duncan House;

PARKS: Edwards Gardens,a botanical garden located on the southwest corner of Leslie Street and Lawrence Avenue East; Bond Park which has sports fields and an arena; and Moccasin Trail Park where a remote, undeveloped section of ravine can be reached by a pedestrian tunnel under the DVP (from this location, you can easily walk a short distance to get a first-hand look at the Rainbow Tunnel).  In 2003, at the Don Mills 50th anniversary celebrations, the parkette at the corner of Don Mills and Lawrence was renamed the Macklin Hancock Parkette. 

SPORTS: Don Mills Civitan Arena; Bond Park Sports Complex; Annual Paddle the Don;

HERITAGE SITES: Milne House, Milne Cemetery, David Duncan House, Graydon Hall Manor.....

PUBLIC ART:  Moose; sculptures and artwork; dedicated plaques, benches, etc..

CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS: On Wynford Drive is the soon-to-be-completed Ismaili Centre, the Aga Khan Museum and a public park.  The Korean Canadian Cultural Association of Metropolitan Toronto (KCCA) is located at 1133 Leslie Street (formerly, Pringle & Booth Art Centre)

COMMERCIAL/INDUSTRIAL: Don Mills serves as the head office for IBM Canada Ltd., Global Television Station, the Toronto Real Estate Board and many other prominent companies.

SERVICE CLUBS & LOCAL GROUPS:  75 The Donway West was once the de facto "medical building" serving members of the community.  It is now being converted for residential use.

Places of the Past

Windfields Farms
The Don School
Bata Shoes Headquarters
Imperial Oil
Post Office (original location)
Don Mills Centre
Bethesda Church
BiWay
Rock 'N Diner
Philco
Timex
Merry Packaging
Dominion Envelope
Maynards Candy
Don Locke's BA gas station
The curling rink/bingo hall bubble
The bowling Alley/Pool Hall
The Odeon movie theater
The Coach 'N Four Restaurant
Joe Birds
Top O The Mall Restaurant
Grand & Toy (still here, but not the same presence)
Fisker
McNally-Robinson
The Real Jerk (street vendor cart)
Inn on the Park (still standing, but converted to a Toyota dealership)
Nixdorf (on Leslie North of Eglinton)
Sunoco (on Leslie North of Eglinton)
1050 CHUM Transmitter in Chipping Park
The Mississippi Belle (nightclub)
Borden's Company Ltd (still here, but not the same presence)
Peacock & McQuigge (road builders)
Hugh C. MacLean Publications Ltd (later Southam-MacLean, after being bought by Southam Inc.)[1][2]

Memories

Much of what made and kept Don Mills a great place to grow up can be attributed to the original residents and their families and their desire to preserve all that was good about this "new town". Despite inevitable changes that have taken place over the years, there is that great sense of "if it ain't broke, don't mess with it", that will forever maintain that sense of pride we take in saying, "I Grew Up In Don Mills".  Please join our Facebook group that is the foundation of this wiki,*http://www.facebook.com/groups/3395185011/).  You'll meet lots of old friends, hopefully make a few new ones, and share in some great discussions about our Don Mills, then and now.

News

Don't forget to visit our News page.