Local Landmarks & Heritage
Local Landmarks & Heritage
- The 519 (1975)
- Barbara Hall Park
- Toronto AIDS Memorial
Neighborhood History
Neighborhood History
The Village, known in full as the Church and Wellesley Village, is a downtown Toronto neighbourhood roughly bounded by Gerrard Street, Yonge Street, Charles Street and Jarvis Street. Part of the area was once Alexander Wood's estate, known locally as Molly Wood's Bush. From the late 1960s through the early 1980s, the focus of Toronto's gay community was the Yonge and Wellesley area, and after the police raided four downtown bathhouses on February 5, 1981, charging more than 300 men, the centre of gay life shifted to Church Street. The protest that followed the next night grew to more than 3,000 people.
In 1975 the City bought the building at 519 Church Street to create The 519 community centre, and after the raids new advocacy groups made The 519 their home. Nearby, Barbara Hall Park holds the Toronto AIDS Memorial and the Trans Memorial, and in 1991 Kyle Rae became Toronto's first openly gay city councillor.
The Village tee is for everyone who calls Church and Wellesley home, and everyone who keeps coming back.
MY-NHD
The Village - Toronto - Unisex Cotton Tee
The Village - Toronto - Unisex Cotton Tee
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The Village centres on Church and Wellesley streets in downtown Toronto. It became the heart of the city's gay community in the 1980s, and its park holds the Toronto AIDS Memorial.
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