By the late 1800s, Oak Street exhibited a range of architecture such as Bay N'
Gable, Queen Anne, Arts & Craft, Gothic Revival and Painted Ladies. Churches,
small businesses and local corner stores all hummed with day-to-day activity in
a tight community where people of different origins and religions rubbed
shoulders in harmony. "We had a big verandah out in front and everybody sat
outside and visited one another."
Your springtime, was a little place, A place of no renown. But, a happy place, a
place with soul, A place called Cabbagetown. Cabbagetown Revisited
"People took pride in their homes and our parents kept them clean and spotless."
These houses were inhabited by conscientious hard-working people but the
Depression of the 1930s and the impact of two World Wars took their toll. The
well-kept facades adorned with flower boxes,lace-curtained windows and many
manicured yards disguised what lay behind. Lack of money meant that roofs and
stucco could not be maintained. Even the houses in good repair were slated for
demolition to make way for Regent Park.
“…..my children – men and women in-the-making--Makers of Canada, they may be truly called. From the highest places in the land, to that of the humble citizen, my children have contributed their full share.”
The Spirit of Older Dufferin School, from the 1939 Year Book.”
The first few decades were good in Regent Park. "In all the years I grew up
there I never realized that I was living in public housing. We weren’t raised
that way. We were raised in a vibrant and active community where at least one of
the parents worked. I was always proud I came from Regent Park. It was a great
place to live."
"It was clearly a time for change and it needed the revitalization. The
buildings have been there since the late 40’s early 50’s, they were not built to
withstand time. It needs a community that can integrate people with a range of
incomes. It needs change and it needs to grow in a positive way as opposed to
stagnating." "The whole physical design of the development was not sustainable.
It does not use the intervention through environmental design approach and
there’s no through street so we’re not aligned with the rest of the community on
either side of us, so it isolates us from the rest of the world."
“…..my children – men and women in-the-making--Makers of Canada, they may be
truly called. From the highest places in the land, to that of the humble
citizen, my children have contributed their full share.”
The Spirit of Older Dufferin School, from the 1939 Year Book.”