The Foundation of Flavour: St. Lawrence Market’s Historic Role in Toronto

A marketplace is Born

It all started when Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter assigned the area as a public market in 1803, offering local farmers and vendors a designated space to sell their goods. The first buildings were erected by 1814, and by 1831, the North Market received its first permanent brick structure. This was seen as an investment in infrastructure that signaled the markets growing importance.

Survey plans from this time show a city well on the verge of expansion with street changes, lots being divided, and permanent city spaces being established. These plans, were meticulously hand-drawn, and give us insight not only into where buildings stood, but into how Toronto was choosing to define itself.

This partial clipping from an undated survey plan shows the layout of Toronto’s historic market district, including the North Market, the Fish Market, and Farmers’ Store House. This map was likely created in the mid-1830s, shortly after the Town of York was incorporated as the City of Toronto in 1834. We can estimate the timeframe based on the use of "City of Toronto" in the title and the appearance of infrastructure associated with early city planning along the waterfront. 

A hall of Civic Pride

Between 1845 and 1899, the South Market was more than just a place to shop — it was Toronto’s City Hall. A detailed, undated survey in our archives clearly marks the “City Hall” site east of what was then West Market Street and west of Nelson Street (now Jarvis Street). This snapshot in time shows the layout of streets and the proposed south market structure, providing a visual record of Toronto’s past political heart.

The building’s architecture itself told a story: yellow bricks, produced locally from the Don Valley clay, gave the building its distinctive tone. These bricks which are rare today weren’t just aesthetic choices. They were symbols of local industry and craftsmanship. When the city outgrew the space and moved its administrative functions elsewhere in 1899, those yellow bricks weren’t discarded. They were instead incorporated into the design of the new South Market, which opened in 1902. The bricks remain visible today along the front of the building, offering visitors a physical connection to Toronto’s early days.

They help ensure that redevelopment respects heritage, that boundaries are clearly understood, and that the story of Toronto’s growth is never lost.

More than 200 years after it began, the St. Lawrence Market remains a place where people come together, not just to shop, but to connect with history. Next time you walk beneath those yellow bricks or stand in the old council chambers, know that you’re standing on land that has been measured, mapped, and made meaningful, thanks to the surveyors who helped shape the city beneath your feet.