History The Road Less Travelled!
by Spyridon Moshonas
May 10 - June 2, 2001 Danforth Road spans two full centuries, but very little of it predates the First World War. That is not a surprise considering that for its first 120 years, Danforth was literally the road less traveled! Originally, it was intended to be the 'great highway' that would link York, Toronto's predecessor, to the eastern part of the colony. The York political elite were desperate for a highway that would ease their discomfort about living in rural isolation. In answer to their prayers, a Yankee by the name of Asa Danforth came to town with an offer they just couldn't refuse. He wanted to built a highway starting from the east bank of the Don River to the Bay of Quinte, and with the blessing of the legislature, construction began in the summer of 1799. Danforth Road was an ambitious project that was to be completed within a year. In the beginning, that deadline appeared feasible, as crews made quick progress through what later would become Scarborough. However, both Danforth and the politicians underrated a very important element of life in North America--the harsh winter that severely hampers most construction activity. Running behind schedule, Danforth pleaded for an extension, but the government had quickly lost interest in the project, and as a result he gave up in disgust and went back to the United States. He was not, of course, without blame. Danforth had foolishly veered too far away from the shoreline, making it difficult to lure settlers so deep inland. The colonial government, also, hampered settlement by granting most of the land along the road to absentee administration officials. Without a sufficient number of settlers to maintain it, the road quickly became muddy and impassable. The 'great highway' became a quiet farm lane losing traffic to Cornel Road, a quiet farm path that became 'Kingston Road', and eventually the highway to the east! The road Danforth left behind did not disappear, but it was only known by those who had to use it! Its most significant development was on its western end--the village of Chester. Most of the land east of the Don River belonged to an old York family, the Playters, who started selling parts of it around the 1860s. The village developed around a couple of taverns in the vicinity of Danforth Road and Broadview Avenue that was then known as Don Mills Road. Shortly afterwards, the church of St. Barnabas was erected on land donated by the Playters. By the 1880s, nearby Riverdale had already been laid out in building lots, but development slowly crept up the hill, and the area retained its quaint, country village look. A decade later, the streetcars arrived, but the biggest change came after the opening of the Bloor Viaduct in 1920. By then, the Playters had wisely sold off their last remaining vacant lots at $9,000 an acre. Within two decades, a flurry of construction had transformed Danforth Road from a quiet farm lane into the longest commercial strip in Toronto. The old Chester village was wiped out by subdivisions. St. Barnabas had already moved to a newer brick structure by 1918. But, the Playter farmhouse survived, and it stands at 28 Playter Crescent. In 1981, it was placed on the Toronto Historical BoardÃs Inventory of Heritage Properties. The farmhouse driveway also survived, and today it is Playter Boulevard. Danforth Road has gone from an over-hyped highway to a forgotten country road and then to one of the busiest stretches of Toronto. Rural life on the early Danforth endured for over a century only to be completely gone within two decades.
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