Danforth Avenue (informally also known as the Danforth) and Danforth Road are two historically-related arterial streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Danforth Avenue is an east-west street that begins in Old Toronto at the Prince Edward Viaduct as a physical continuation of Bloor Street and continues for about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east through old Toronto, about 350 metres (1,150 ft) of old East York, and a further 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in Scarborough until it intersects with Kingston Road via a ramped interchange. Danforth Road splits off the Avenue west of Warden Avenue and runs diagonally northeast until south of Lawrence Avenue, where it continues as McCowan Road.
Danforth Road was named for American contractor Asa Danforth Jr., who built portions of what would become Queen Street and Kingston Road. He started work in 1799 on Danforth's Road as (originally) a hundred-mile route from Scarborough to the Trent River. That road was completed in 1801, but soon fell into disrepair and was largely replaced by the 1817 Kingston Roadstagecoach route.
Before being named Danforth Avenue, maps referred to it as Concession Line Road.
Danforth Avenue, named because it was created to connect Toronto to Danforth Road, was officially built by the Don and Danforth Plank Road Company in 1851 to Broadview Avenue, as well as connecting to Kingston Road.
In Scarborough, Danforth Road connects Danforth Avenue with McCowan Road. It is possible, therefore, to stand at the intersection of "Danforth and Danforth", i.e. Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road. Local references, therefore, are careful to note whether it is the Avenue or the Road being referred to—although the term "the Danforth" always refers to Danforth Avenue, and never to Danforth Road.
Warden Avenue and Birchmount Road in Scarborough are two of the four routes to intersect with both Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road (the others being residential Scotia and Medford avenues). With other routes, the distinction is unnecessary; for example, "Victoria Park and Danforth" means Danforth Avenue, while "Kennedy and Danforth" mean Danforth Road.
Previously, Danforth Road continued around the Highland Creek along local residential roadways now known as:
Painted Post Drive – two broken sections from Bellamy Road to Scarborough Golf Club Road north of Lawrence Avenue East
Military Trail – begins east of Scarborough Golf Club Road from Ellesmere to Morrish Road (does not connect with Kingston Road)
Colonel Danforth Trail – near Kingston Road and Lawson Roads to near Meadowvale Road and Lawrence Avenue East
Clonmore Drive – from near Victoria Park Avenue and Kingston Road to Warden south of Danforth Avenue
Highland Creek Drive – short street branching off from Colonel Danforth Trail and Kingston Road southeast and ends within Colonel Danforth Park
Danforth Avenue was formerly designated as Ontario Highway 5 from the Don River (at Bloor Street) east to Kingston Road. Like many urban stretches of provincial roadway, it was formally decommissioned as a Connecting Link on January 1, 1998.
Shoppers World Danforth, a World War II munitions plant (and before that, a Ford Motor Company plant). It became a Ford plant again after the war until Ford moved to Oakville in 1953, then an American Motors (AMC) plant, producing Ramblers, Nashes and Hudsons, before AMC moved to Brampton. The buildings were retained and were converted to a shopping mall in 1962.
On Christmas Eve 2001, the Woodbine Building Supply fire occurred. The hardware store was located at the intersection of Danforth and Woodbine Avenues. It was one of the biggest fires in Toronto's history, as 170 firefighters were required to bring the six-alarm blaze under control. The building was less than 50 m (160 ft) from residences in the neighbourhood and more than fifty families had to evacuate their homes on Christmas morning. One person was killed and another was severely disfigured. Police and insurance quickly suspected arson and several people have since been convicted. The store's owners have since built a 12-storey condo building on the site.
The band Rush reference the street for the instrumental "La Villa Strangiato" from the album Hemispheres (1978), of which section VII is subtitled "Danforth & Pape".