Pape Village
Commercial district
1915 Atlas of Canada, showing what is today the area in which Pape Village is located (then known as Todmorden), to the north of the (then) boundary of the City of Toronto
1915 Atlas of Canada, showing what is today the area in which Pape Village is located (then known as Todmorden), to the north of the (then) boundary of the City of Toronto
Pape Village is located in Toronto
Pape Village
Location within Toronto
Coordinates: 43°41′15″N 79°20′52″W / 43.68750°N 79.34778°W / 43.68750; -79.34778
Country Canada
Province Ontario
CityToronto
CommunityToronto & East York
Changed Municipality1924 East York from York
1998 Toronto fromEast York
Government
 • MPJulie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth)
 • MPPPeter Tabuns (Toronto—Danforth)
 • CouncillorMary Fragedakis (Ward 29 Toronto—Danforth)

Pape Village is a commercial district in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located within the neighbourhood of Old East York. It is a mixed-use shopping street, consisting mainly of small-scale retail, restaurant and personal service uses.

Location

The district is located along Pape Avenue, between Mortimer Avenue and Gamble Avenue, in the former Borough of East York. The Danforth is located several blocks to the south, and the Don Valley is located several blocks to the west and north.

Although the Pape Village name was originally the product of local business marketing efforts, some real estate agents and local residents have since used the term to also refer to the adjacent residential area. Otherwise, the area is generally known as Old East York.

Business Improvement Area

The Pape Village Business Improvement Area represents approximately 110 businesses along the thoroughfare, and undertakes efforts to promote and beautify the area. Since much of the existing building stock in Pape Village dates to the 1940s and 1950s, the City of Toronto adopted a new community improvement plan for the district in 2003, in order to assist local businesses to renovate and restore aging commercial façades.

History

Aerial Photograph, 1942
Aerial view of Pape Village, 2023

Historically, the entire area was known as "Todmorden", which extended from the Don Valley to the west and north, to approximately what is now Mortimer Avenue to the south and Donlands Avenue to the east. Todmorden was named by John Eastwood, an early settler in the early 19th century, who believed that the landscape was reminiscent of Todmorden in Yorkshire, England. Although Todmorden was never incorporated as a village, the use of the name both colloquially and as a postal address persisted until the 1940s. Today, the name is used solely for three areas of this community Todmorden Mills, a historic industrial settlement in the Don Valley, for a library reference room in the East York Community Centre on Pape Avenue as well as a small street linking Cosburn avenue and Gamble Avenue, its name "Todmorden Lane".

The band Rush reference the area in the instrumental "La Villa Strangiato" from the album Hemispheres (1978), in which section VII is subtitled "Danforth & Pape".

References

  • Fascinating Facts About East York, East York Public Library, 1996, pages 23–30.
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