Tuesday Treasures

 Tom the backroads traveller hosts this weekly meme.

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My Corner of the World

Postcards

October 2021 - Toronto ON

Click here for a history of Toronto lane naming and a list of other lanes. That post is a work in progress, and gets updated frequently.

While out walking last week, I turned down Nelson St. because there was construction on Duncan St. and I found this lane!

I'm not sure if I have ever walked down Nelson, I'm sure I have, but I have no recollection of what it looked like, it is all modern condos now.

I had no idea why it was called Twilight and at the time thought that would be a nice address to have.

This club was before we moved to Toronto. It was a parking lot for as long as I can remember.

When I worked in this area in the early 2000s this was still known as the Club District although it slowly became the Entertainment District. There were many late night clubs.

But these days those old warehouses from the former Garment (now called Fashion) District have made way for tall modern condos.

The AGO, Art Gallery of Ontario, did a presentation Nightclubbing: A Toronto History.

Image from Then and Now Twilight Zone article.

"Twilight Lane" 

The Twilight Zone was a nightclub located at 185 Richmond Street West, directly beside the proposed laneway. The club first opened in 1981 when the area was originally referred to as the Garment District. The Twilight Zone was founded by four brothers, all born in Trinidad who arrived in Canada via Brooklyn, New York.

 During the club’s highly successful nine year operation, The Twilight Zone brought in many ground-breaking international artists, featured outstanding music and held many seminal fashion shows. It helped establish Toronto as an international destination hub by providing a venue for outstanding art and culture not previously available in the city. 

The club’s clientele was as eclectic as the music. It was the first large scale venue to be available to a multi-ethnic and diverse populace. This helped shape Toronto as a safe space for everyone, regardless of ethnicity, sexuality or income to enjoy themselves and network with each other. 

Finally, as the first successful large-scale entertainment-based business in the area, The Twilight Zone was instrumental in the formation of this city’s Entertainment District which still exists today as a vibrant, exciting element of Toronto’s character.