Brockton Village was a village located to the west of the City of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, annexed in 1884. This location is now fairly central in the current city of Toronto. It encompassed the area from Bloor Street on the north, Dufferin Street on the east, High Park on the west and ranged from Queen Street, along Roncesvalles Avenue, Wright Avenue and Dundas Streets to the south.
The former town hall still exists, converted to commercial usage, and is located at the south-west corner of Dundas Street West and Brock Avenue. The area has many residents of Portuguese and more recently Brazilian backgrounds. There are also many Vietnamese businesses in the area.
Before an influx of significant population in the 1870s, it formed the northern section of the large estate owned by Colonel Walter O'Hara.
The main shopping mall of this neighborhood is Dufferin Mall. Additionally, there are schools in the neighborhood, including Bloor Collegiate Institute and the Royal Conservatory of Music (the building was called Brockton High School as with the community, then renamed Ursula Franklin Academy, which had moved to High Park).
A major hub of activity in Brockton Village today is McCormick Park, home to McCormick Recreation Centre and Arena. This area has long been a focal point for youth living in the area.
In October of 2006, a contest was held to determine the cutest cat in Brockton Village. Ultimately, a cat named "Misty" who lives on Shirley Street won by a slim margin.
Brockton is said to be an older village than Parkdale which grew from settlement on Loyalist land grants along Dundas Street, then a military road that probably followed an old Indian trail. The Village of Brockton was incorporated in 1881 and was amalgamated with the City of Toronto in 1884, as part of the 50th anniversary observances of the incorporation of the city.Colonel Givins and Colonel Denison, known for building Dundas Street through the area, held considerable property in this area.
While it is general thought that Brockton was named after Sir Isaac Brock, hero of the War of 1812, there is information that Captain James Brock of the 49th Foot Regiment, Sir Isaac's first cousin and his sometime Private Secretary, has a greater claim as he was granted title to Park Lot 30, Con. 1 from the Bay, on 13 April 1812. This stretched from Queen to Bloor and is bisected today by Brock Avenue. This grant was followed on 2 Sept. 1812, by a second one of Lots 31 and 32 in Broken Front Concession at the extreme west end of the Garrison Reserve. James sold Lot 32 to James Fitzgibbon in 1821; his widow Lucy wasted no time after his death in selling Lot 31 to John Henry Dunn. But she held on to Park Lot 30 until 1850 when it was bought from her by a group of investors. It was surveyed by John Tully and subdivided by registered plan in 1860.
The heart of the village was the area between the Brockton Road and Jameson Avenue North. The Town Hall was erected on the southwest corner of Dundas Street and Brock Avenue in 1882. At amalgamation, the village council asked the Toronto City Council to use the hall as a fire hall, Police headquarters, free library and a public hall that could be used by the residents of western St. Mark's Ward.
With the exception of Dundas Street, most roads were either dirt, planked or covered with wood blocks. The wood blocks, about eight inches in diameter, were held together with tar and did not last long. Obtaining gravel for roads was a problem. When the block roads were replaced the blocks would be lifted by the people who lived on the streets and used for firewood. At that time wood was used until the very cold weather came when coal was used; so these blocks were welcome. There were few sidewalks in the 1880s.
