The Summerhill neighborhood is named after 'Summer Hill' house, a magnificent Regency cottage built in 1842, by transportation baron Charles Thompson. Thompson's two hundred acre Summer Hill estate stretched from the present day Yonge Street to Mt. Pleasant Road. Here, Thompson established the 'Summer Hill Spring Park and Pleasure Grounds' - an amusement park with rides, games, swimming and a popular dance pavilion inside the Summer Hill house. Thompson's heirs subdivided Summer Hill in the 1860's.
From the 1880's onward Summerhill's development revolved around the North Toronto Railway, which was established on Yonge Street near Summerhill in the 1880's. This station - rebuilt in 1916 - is distinguished by its grand clock tower and now serves as the neighbourhood liquor store.
In the 1920's the Canadian Pacific Railway made Summerhill their main Toronto station. When Summerhill station closed, this neighbourhood went into a period of decline that lasted until the Summerhill subway station opened in 1965. Summerhill has enjoyed a position of prominence among Toronto neighbourhoods ever since.
Summerhill's turn of the century houses, winding tree-lined streets, and abundance of parkland have made it one of Toronto's most preferred neighbourhoods. It is conveniently located along the Yonge Street corridor, providing Summerhill residents with easy access to Toronto's downtown business and entertainment districts.
Summerhill's original housing stock consists of semi-detached and detached Victorian houses, and detached Edwardian style houses, built between 1880 and 1915. Summerhill also contains a large number of modern townhouses, and a handful of low-rise luxury condominium apartment buildings, built mostly in the 1980's and 1990's.
STATISTICS
Toronto Real Estate Board District: C2 / C9
Homes Sold in 2008 (Detached, 3 or 4 bdrm): 33
Median Sale Price: $1,220,000
Average Sale Price: $1,321,955
Summerhill residents are within walking distance of the many fine shops and restaurants centred around Yonge Street and Summerhill Avenue.The Bloor-Yorkville and Yonge and St. Clair shopping districts are also easily accessed from the Summerhill neighbourhood.
The Rosehill Reservoir Park is located east of Yonge Street, with access from Summerhill Gardens. The lower portion of this park features a footpath that is used by walkers, joggers, and cyclists. The northeast corner of this path leads to the David A. Balfour Park, a nature trail that winds through the Vale of Avoca Ravine. The upper portion of the Rosehill Reservoir Park includes a children's playground, a wading pool, a waterfall, and reflecting pools.
Lionel Conacher Park, situated off Birch Avenue, is a memorial to Lionel Conacher , who grew up in the Summerhill neighbourhood, and played on two Toronto Maple Leaf Stanley Cup teams.
SCHOOLS
Public:
Cottingham Jr. 85 Birch Ave. (416) 393-1895
Deer Park Jr. & Sr. 23 Ferndale Ave. (416) 393-1550
North Toronto Collegiate Institute 70 Roehampton Ave. (416) 393-9180
Jarvis Collegiate Institute 495 Jarvis St. (416) 393-0140
Private:
Branksome Hall 10 Elm Ave. (416) 920-9741
Bishop Strachan School 298 Lonsdale Rd. (416) 483-4325
Upper Canada College 200 Lonsdale Rd. (416) 488-1125
The York School 1320 Yonge St. (416) 926-1325
The Toronto District School Board The Toronto District Catholic School Board
Click Here For More Information
