Lytton Park is one of Toronto’s most exclusive neighbourhoods. It is home to doctors, lawyers, stockbrokers and corporate executives who value Lytton Park’s quiet charm, and its convenient access to transportation corridors leading in and out of the city.
Lytton Park’s other assets include beautiful homes on large lots, outstanding recreational facilities, and a close proximity to excellent public and private schools.
Lytton Park is comprised of an area encompassing Yonge Street on the east to roughly a half block west of Mona Drive., where the former municipal boundaries of Old Toronto and North York aligned. Lytton Park public schools are a big drawing card.These schools include the highly regarded: John Ross Robertson elementary school, Glenview Middle school and Lawrence Park Collegiate High School. Havergal College girls private school and Blessed Sacrament catholic school are also drawing cards for families looking to move into this neighbourhood.
History of Lytton Park
Lytton Park was originally known simply as Lot 3 Concession 1 West of Yonge Street, This was a 200 acre farm lot granted to John MacDougall a United Empire Loyalist. In 1828, the Snider family built the first house in the neighbourhood at 744 Duplex Avenue. The original Regency style cottage was expanded over the years and is now Georgian in appearance. It is one of the oldest private residences in Toronto.
Lytton Park’s rich history includes a castle and a horse racing track. The castle known as Glen Castle – sometimes referred to as Ainsley Castle – once stood perched on the hill where Glen Castle Street is now situated. The racetrack was situated near Glengrove Avenue and Yonge Street. It began operations in 1887 and closed just two years later.
In 1886 the Metropolitan Street Railway began a one horse carriage service to what was then the Town of North Toronto which included Lytton Park. Speculating on future land development for the area the railway company purchased the 200 acre Beatty farm creating the Glen Grove Estates subdivision. The first houses in the neighbourhood along Glengrove Avenue were built in the 1890s and early 1900s.
When the Town of North Toronto was annexed by the City of Toronto in 1912 residential development in Lytton Park began to take off. Families flocked to Lytton Park which led to the building of John Ross Robertson Public School in 1921. “JRR” has been a neighbourhood landmark ever since.
