Cathedraltown Explained

Cathedraltown
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Pushpin Map:Canada Ontario York
Pushpin Label Position:none
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within York
Pushpin Mapsize:220
Coordinates:43.8964°N -79.3744°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Canada
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Ontario
Subdivision Type2:Regional municipality
Subdivision Name2:York
Subdivision Type3:City
Subdivision Name3:Markham
Established Title:Established
Established Date:2006
Population Total:3,000
Population As Of:2006 est.
Timezone1:Eastern Standard Time (EST)
Utc Offset1:-5
Timezone1 Dst:Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
Utc Offset1 Dst:-4
Area Code:905 and 289

Cathedraltown is a planned neighbourhood with an estimated population of 3,000[1] in the City of Markham, just north of Toronto. Cathedraltown was named after the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, around which the neighbourhood was built.

Geography

Cathedraltown is bordered on the north to Major Mackenzie Drive, on the south to Elgin Mills Road, on the west to Victoria Square Boulevard, and on the east to Highway 404.

History

The land occupied by Cathedraltown was originally farmland owned by Romandale Farms, a breeder and exhibitor of Holstein cows. Stephen B. Roman, the late founder of Romandale Farms, built the Cathedral on land he donated. In the early 2000s, his daughter, Helen Roman-Barber, working with Donald Buttress, Surveyor of the Fabric Emeritus of Westminster Abbey, developed the design concept for Cathedraltown, based on European cathedral towns.[2]

The neighbourhood's first residents moved in by 2006 with the completion of homes north of the Cathedral. Since then, single- and multi-family housing and mixed-use condominiums have been built to the west and south of the Cathedral.

Architecture and art

Designed under the direction of Donald Buttress, Cathedraltown reflects the Regency and Georgian architecture that was popular in London in the late 18th an early 19th centuries.

In July 2017 a statue of the cow Brookview Tony Charity was erected in Cathedraltown to some controversy. The statue is of a prize-winning cow that was owned jointly by Romandale Farms and Hanover Hill Farms, in the nearby town of Port Perry, where the cow resided. Romandale Farms donated the statue to honour Charity[3] [4] In October 2017, Markham City Council voted to search for a new location for the statue.[5], the statue has been taken down and placed in storage until a more suitable and accepted home for Charity can be found.[6]

Public transit

The following bus routes serve the neighbourhood:

Notes and References

  1. The population can only be estimated as the census tract is shared with other communities, and communities such as Cachet and Greensborough. Together, this census tract makes up a population of 5,414.
  2. Web site: UrbanToronto.ca . Cathedraltown...suburbia with a twist.
  3. News: Cathedraltown cow just one of family developer's personal design cues. Scott. Wheeler. 27 July 2017. Toronto Star.
  4. Web site: Will controversial cow sculpture be moooved?. www.msn.com.
  5. News: Markham cow statue to stay put, for now. The Toronto Star. 17 October 2017. Javed. Noor.
  6. Web site: Was a freak spring windstorm behind Charity the chrome cow's demise?. Anderson. Kalli. Jun 26, 2018. cbc.ca. 2019-04-11.