Spadina Avenue

Spadina Avenue is one of the most prominent streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Running through the western section of downtown, the road has a very different character in different neighbourhoods.

Spadina Avenue runs south from Bloor Street to the Gardiner Expressway, just north of Lake Ontario. Lower Spadina Avenue continues the last block to the lake after the expressway. Another street named Spadina Road continues north from Bloor, but with new street address numbering starting over at zero. For much of its extent, Spadina Road is a less busy residential road (especially north of Dupont Street and the railway track underpass).

History

Spadina Avenue is commonly pronounced with the i as as in mine; the Spadina House museum on Spadina Road is always pronounced with the i as in as in ski. Historically, the latter pronunciation was used, with the former a colloquialism that has developed over the years.

The name originates from the Ojibwa word ishpadinaa meaning "be a high hill or sudden rise in the land." The Ishpatina Ridge, a mountain in Northern Ontario, which is the highest elevation in the province of Ontario, derives its name from the same word.History of the name Spadina Avenue as recorded in APPENDIX B: The Origin of Street Names in Toronto from TORONTO NO MEAN CITY: "'Spadina,' the country home of Dr. William Warren Baldwin, to which it was the approach. The name is derived from 'Espadinong,' an Indian word meaning a little hill."...
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