The Trefann Court Residents Association has a long and colourful history; its founding meeting was August 11, 1966. Earlier in their respective careers, four ex-Toronto mayors helped organize this neighbourhood: David Crombie, John Sewell, June Rowlands and Barbara Hall.

The Trefann Court area is bounded by Queen, Parliament, Shuter and River streets. In 1966, the city wanted to demolish almost all of the existing buildings, and to build public housing in the area from Parliament to Sackville (continuing the Regent Park “urban renewal” area immediately to the north). On the east part of the site, from Sackville to River, the city would permit industrial buildings. (Industrial use for this area was suggested by a private developer, who in 1957 constructed the large warehouse at 90 Sumach for the CBC, who used it for 30 years as prop storage, construction and rehearsal space.)

But the Trefann Court residents urged the city that their homes not be expropriated, that they be allowed to have significant involvement in replanning their community, and that an alternative to public housing be found. This was the genesis of citizen participation in planning, which now happens in all Toronto neighbourhoods. During the past 30 years, additional 2-3 storey housing has been built to strengthen the stable low-rise residential character of Trefann Court: on Sydenham Street, Wascana, and most recently, the south-west corner of Shuter + River.

The history of Trefann Court makes for interesting reading. Gordon Fraser’s 1972 book: “Fighting Back; Urban Renewal in Trefann Court” (300 pages) is available from the library. John Sewell has also written extensively about Trefann Court, including this entry in a summary of downtown neighbourhoods published in 2000.

Why is our neighbourhood area called “Corktown”? A quick answer appeared awhile ago in Toronto Life. Local historian Bruce Bell wrote a more extensive explanation in an Aug 2005 Bulletin article. Here is an excerpt.

“One of Toronto’s “newest” neighbourhoods is also one of its oldest with Irish roots dating back a thousand years to the old country. Even though Toronto’s Corktown is named after County Cork in Ireland, a misconception still lingers that the area is so named because there were once a few cork bottle stoppers factories in the area. Not so.
Cork City, the major city of County Cork, is today Ireland’s third largest (after Dublin and Belfast) and has always been an important seaport beginning as an island in the swampy estuary of the River Lee. The name Corcaigh is Gallic for a marsh, hence Corc or Cork.
County Cork was one of the worst affected areas in the Great Irish Famine that at its peak between 1845 and 1847 the county lost 200,000 people (about one-quarter of the total population) to the ravages of starvation after a virus systematically destroyed the potato crop. In Cork 150,000 people were dead and with the graveyards overflowing and the streets besieged with the wandering sick, 50,000 men, women and children had no choice but to emigrate.
And so it was from this ancient Viking seaport that the majority of the 19th-century starving Irish refugees escaped the horrors of the potato famine boarding the steam ships or coffin ships as they were eventually dubbed that would take them to the new world. All told a million Irish would eventually die and another million would flee. Upon arrival in Boston, New York, Detroit, Hamilton, St John’s, Philadelphia and Toronto these ragged, starving and emaciated Irish settled into neighbourhoods that were hence nicknamed Corktown after the home they left behind.”

Ireland Park is being created at Bathurst Quay; the park will contain sculptures by Rowan Gillespie, depicting “Arrival” of Irish Famine immigrants in 1847, In that year, 1,100 migrants died and were buried in Toronto, either in the plots set aside by St. James Anglican Cathedral, or in the graveyard adjoining St. Paul’s Roman Catholic Parish.

This excerpt, from an article which appeared in the Dec 23rd Globe+Mail, provides some history of St. Paul’s Church (83 Power Street, just off Queen east of Parliament).

… I chose St. Paul’s, partly for its square Tuscan tower and dim interior, but mostly because of the Pieta sculpture in front of the church. The statue itself isn’t particularly attractive, but it commemorates Michael Power, Toronto’s first Catholic bishop. He caught cholera or typhus — accounts differ — from the Irish immigrants to whom he was bringing the last sacraments, and died of it, in 1847. The idea of a bishop who died from ministering to his flock, in downtown Toronto, has always moved me. Power Street is named for him.

The parish’s solidarity with the newest and most disadvantaged Torontonians began with its founding in 1822, when it was the only Catholic church between Kingston and Windsor. Within its first decade, a firebrand Irish priest, William O’Grady, refused to stop preaching against the Family Compact and in support of William Lyon Mackenzie. When the authorities deposed him, he locked himself inside the church and admitted his followers by the back door.

… When the parish outgrew its first church in the 1890s, Joseph Connolly, Ontario’s reigning architect of Catholic churches, built a beauty in rosy Credit Valley stone and Cleveland limestone. The Renaissance basilica style Mr. Connolly chose is anomalous, both in Toronto, which tended to follow the English liking for Gothic Revival churches, and in this poor neighbourhood (now inching toward gentrification). Its symmetrical formality could be off-putting, but if somebody has to have the best house around, who better than God? Especially when it’s shared so generously with the neighbourhood. …

The Corktown Residents and Business Association (CRBA) has been around for awhile. Drew Russell (who lived on Sackville St.) was involved with the Corktown Association in 1975-1980, and was its first president. Joyce McNulty (also from Sackville) succeeded him as president in 1981. Sassy Waddell and John Libby (who both still live or work in the neighbourhood) were also on the Corktown executive during the early years. Corktown initially rented meeting space at the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse. Past community meetings were also held at Dixon Hall. Corktown meetings have been at the Dominion Hotel since 1989 (which was the 100th anniversary of the hotel). CRBA (Corktown Residents and Business Association) was incorporated in 1995. According to my collection of old Corktown newsletters, other past presidents include Ruth Promislow (Feb-Nov 2006), Suzanne Edmonds (2005), Fran Dolan (2004), Chris Hutcheson (2002, 2003), Cindy Wilkey (2001), Babak Abbaszedah (1999, 2000), Radford Cook (1997, 1998), Helene St. Jacques (1992 ?) and Bill Eadie (1990).