Moss Park is a residential neighbourhood located in downtown
Toronto
Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
,
Ontario
Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, Canada. The area known as Moss Park is typically considered to be between
Jarvis Street and
Parliament Street, south of Dundas Street, an area dominated by
public housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
projects. According to one set of boundaries of the City of Toronto, it is roughly L-shaped, bounded on the north by Carlton Street to Parliament Street, on the east by Parliament Street to
Queen Street East and the
Don River, on the south by
Eastern Avenue and
Front Street, and on the west by Jarvis Street. This larger concept of the area includes the neighbourhoods known as
Corktown and the
Garden District, as well as a portion of
Cabbagetown.
Character

The neighbourhood is named for the abundant moss that grew on the original estate of the Allan family (which included
William Allan and his son,
George Allan), whose mansion stood on the west side of
Sherbourne street, between Queen and Shuter streets.
The Allan family's former mansion was later demolished during the 1960s 'urban renewal' redevelopment of the area into a housing project, with a large park and community centre on the site of the old estate.
Much of the Moss Park area was originally built to supply homes for the workers in the industrial area to the south of the neighbourhood. During the 1960s, a large number of these buildings were demolished to make way for the Moss Park
public housing
Public housing, also known as social housing, refers to Subsidized housing, subsidized or affordable housing provided in buildings that are usually owned and managed by local government, central government, nonprofit organizations or a ...
project, a group of three large towers at Queen and Parliament streets (run by the
Toronto Community Housing Corporation).
The neighbourhood immediately around the housing complex is the area typically meant when referring to Moss Park today. This neighbourhood consists almost exclusively of rental units, and it houses many low-income families. According to ''
Toronto Life
''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eati ...
'', "Moss Park has long had a reputation among Torontonians as a notoriously downtrodden and dangerous neighbourhood." It is home to several
homeless shelters.
The northeast corner of Jarvis and Queen streets is occupied by
Moss Park Armoury, which is used by several regiments of the
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Armed Forces (CAF; , FAC) are the unified Military, military forces of Canada, including sea, land, and air commands referred to as the Royal Canadian Navy, Canadian Army and the Royal Canadian Air Force. Under the ''National Defenc ...
Primary Reserve. These include the
25 Field Ambulance, the
48th Highlanders of Canada
The 48th Highlanders of Canada is a Canadian Forces Primary Reserve infantry regiment based in Toronto, Ontario, parading out of Moss Park Armoury. The regiment is part of 4th Canadian Division's 32 Canadian Brigade Group.
Regimental Badge
...
, the
7th Toronto Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery, and
the Queen's Own Rifles of Canada. Several cadet units also use the facility.
Along Queen Street, the predominant building style is the three to five-storey building, with retail businesses on the ground floor and walk-up apartments on upper floors.
Landmarks
*
Moss Park Armoury
* 252 Queen Street East –
Kim's Convenience store front used by the television show of the same name
Transportation
The
501 Queen Street and
505 Dundas Street streetcar routes operate east-west in the neighbourhood. Bus routes include the 75 Sherbourne along Sherbourne from Rosedale to Queen's Quay, and the 65 Parliament Street bus from Castle Frank subway station south to the Esplanade.
The
Ontario Line
The Ontario Line is a rapid transit line under construction in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its northern terminus will be at Eglinton Avenue and Don Mills Road, at Don Valley station, where it will connect with Line 5 Eglinton. Its southern terminu ...
light metro line will have an underground station located in the neighborhood named Moss Park located under
Queen Street East between George Street and Sherbourne Street. The line will provide a fast connection to
Downtown Toronto
Downtown Toronto is the main city centre of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont Street to the nor ...
,
Exhibition Place, and transfers with three other lines in the
Toronto subway
The Toronto subway is a rapid transit system serving Toronto and the neighbouring city of Vaughan in Ontario, Canada, operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC). The subway system is a rail network consisting of three heavy-capacity rai ...
network.
In popular culture
The neighbourhood is the main setting for the TV series ''
Kim's Convenience''
and features in many on-location shoots.
The Canadian TV series ''Murdoch Mysteries'', Season 15-episode 18, “Patriot Games” (set in the year 1909) includes a fictional Korean family with the surname Park. In the final moments of the episode the series pays homage to Moss Park, as the characters are brainstorming the creation of a Korean neighborhood in Toronto’s future.
References
External links
City of Toronto - Moss Park Neighbourhood ProfileToronto neighbourhoods - Moss ParkToronto Life rankings - Moss Park– Lost Rivers
{{authority control
Neighbourhoods in Toronto