The Bridge Path Guide

History

The Bridle Path was little more than farmland until 1929, when the Bayview Bridge was constructed across the steep (West Branch) Don River Valley. It was at that point that the area was first considered for residential development. Hubert Page, a Toronto-based land developer, envisioned the Bridle Path as an "exclusive enclave of estate homes" and he built the neighbourhood's first home, a Cape Cod Colonial style home at 2 The Bridle Path in order to spark interest in the development.

The street's name is frequently misspelled as "The Bridal Path" by those who are unfamiliar with the history of the area. The actual "Bridle Path" name came about as early plans for the neighbourhood included an elaborate system of equestrian bridle paths. While the paths have since been paved over, their legacy remains in the Bridle Path's wide streets and in the name of this elite community.

Present

The Bridle Path is an upscale residential neighbourhood in the former city of North York, that is characterized by large multi-million dollar mansions and two to four acre lot sizes. It is often referred to as "Millionaires' Row".

Although "The Bridle Path" is in fact the name of a road in the area, the term generally applies to the surrounding neighbourhood as a whole. It is generally bounded by The Bridle Path on the north, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre on the south, Bayview Avenue on the west and Leslie Street on the east. Few roads pass through the area, contributing to the area's exclusivity. It is a secluded neighbourhood, surrounded by the Don River Valley and lush parklands.

Homes

The Bridle Path's largest mansions located between Post Road and Park Lane Circle are among the largest homes in Toronto. These grand homes are situated on one to six acre lots and feature stone and cast iron gateways with elaborate built-in security systems. The houses south of Park Lane Circle are somewhat smaller in scale with still very generous one hundred foot frontages.

The houses in the Bridle Path were built mostly in the 1930's, 1950's and 1960's which accounts for the eclectic mix of architectural styles found here. This mix of designs includes Georgian, Colonial, Greek and Tudor Revival, Italianate, Neo Gothic, California bungalows and futuristic modernist style houses.

The typical Bridle Path estate offers a wide range of luxury features, ranging from pools, tennis courts, gazebos and cabanas, to greenhouses and waterfalls. Interior features range from gold fixtures and marble finishes to dance floors, saunas, personal gyms, and home theatres.  House prices in the Bridle Path are varied, but most of the houses in this area sell for well in excess of a million dollars.

Shopping

York Mills Plaza, located at the south-west corner of Bayview Avenue and York Mills Road has been described as the Tiffany's of shopping centres. Here you will find vintage wines, imported cigars, swiss chocolate, decadent desserts, Cartier eyeglasses, designer lingerie, and a glittering coffee shop serving up espresso, cappuccino, and café lattes.

Situated at the north-east corner of Bayview and Sheppard Avenues is the Bayview Village Shopping Centre which features designer clothing stores and excellent fine dining.

Recreation and Leisure

Bridle Path residents can walk to beautiful Edwards Gardens which is the home of the Civic Garden Centre, one of Canada's finest public gardening resource centres. Edwards Gardens contains rockeries, perennial gardens, a pond, waterfalls, a rose garden and the beginning of a nine kilometre paved trail that extends through the Don River Valley all the way to Warden Woods Park in Scarborough.

The Edwards Gardens trail passes through Sunnybrook Park which features top quality sports fields for cricket, field hockey, rugby and soccer. Sunnybrook Park also has riding stables which offers lessons to the public. It is appropriate that these equestrian facilities are located on the border of the Bridal Path neighbourhood which has such a rich horse riding tradition.

Transportation

The Bayview Avenue bus connects passengers to the Davisville station on the Yonge-University-Spadina subway line and also provides passengers with a connecting route to the Lawrence Avenue subway station.  Motorists can get directly downtown to Toronto's business and entertainment districts in approximately twenty minutes from nearby arterial roadways including Mount Pleasant Road and Yonge Street. The Highway 401 on-ramp off Bayview Avenue and the Don Valley Parkway on-ramp off Lawrence Avenue, are both approximately a five minute drive from here.