Building Toronto – St. Lawrence Market

A black and white photograph of a street with pedestrians and horse drawn carriages walking along it. Buildings are visible to the left hand side of the image. You can see the Market in the foreground and St. Lawrence Hall in the back.

St. Lawrence Market. North Market (1850-1904), Front Street East, north side, between Market & Jarvis Streets, prior to 1898. Toronto Public Library.

Interior of a market building. Natural sunlight is pouring into the building from the windows. A number of trucks are parked. People are looking at goods that are spread out on tables.

Interior of St. Lawrence Market, 1919. Image by James Salmon. City of Toronto Archives, Fonds 1231, Item 613

The world’s greatest food market, according to National Geographic

The St. Lawrence Market is the city’s oldest market, dating from 1803. The first market occupied the northwest corner of Front and Jarvis Streets, eventually also the site of Toronto’s first city hall. Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter declared the first public market open, welcoming merchants, farmers, and residents of the region to buy and sell their provisions. Many would attend the market from out of town, including Chief Wabakinine of the Mississaugas, who sold salmon.

The world’s greatest food market, according to National Geographic

Inns and taverns lined Yonge and King Streets to serve those who made the multi-day trek. A joint city hall, police station, and market building opened in 1845 on the south side of Front Street. By the time of the Great Fire of 1849, the first market had been replaced by a series of wooden and brick buildings. A portion of the current South Market housed the city council chambers, a jail, and government offices, with shops in the wings of the building.

The world’s greatest food market, according to National Geographic

Threatened with demolition in 1971, citizens successfully petitioned for the preservation of the South Market. However, a matching building on the north side of Front Street was demolished and replaced in 1968.

The 1968 North Market will be rebuilt in the coming years as the market complex continues to offer fresh goods and prepared foods from local suppliers that celebrate our global city.

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