There’s a particular kind of magic to a city square at holiday time — lanterns, evergreen boughs, merchants calling out their best offerings and the hum of neighbours greeting neighbours. For the residents of the old City of York (what we now call Old Toronto), the Christmas season for much of the 19th century centered on one place: the St. Lawrence Market and the grand St. Lawrence Hall across King Street. These buildings were more than brick and stone; they were the civic living room where community, commerce and celebration met.
A quick historical snapshot — why this corner mattered
After the devastating Great Fire of 1849 reshaped Toronto’s downtown, the rebuilt Market Block and its new stone buildings rose as part of a civic re-start. The market and St. Lawrence Hall (completed in 1851) became magnets for public gatherings — concerts, exhibitions, political rallies and seasonal fairs — helping to knit the young city back together. Across the street the St. James Cathedral was re-built by the early 1850s after earlier fires, giving the area both spiritual and social anchors.
Holidays in Old York: what the season looked like
Victorian Toronto’s Christmas was a mixture of restrained piety and public spectacle. Markets were where the season was stocked: citrus and imported fruit, seasonal game and the era’s showpiece items were displayed amid garlands of evergreen and sprigs of mistletoe. Contemporary accounts and later historians describe how stalls at the St. Lawrence Market were “peculiarly well adorned” for Christmas — pungent sausages, rows of meat for the holiday table, and imported luxuries displayed among the everyday goods. The market’s decorations and bustle made it a central stop in every household’s seasonal planning.
St. Lawrence Hall: the city’s festive drawing room
St. Lawrence Hall was built explicitly as Toronto’s public meeting hall — its thousand-seat amphitheatre hosted balls, concerts, and seasonal gatherings, and the Hall’s balcony and rooms were often the setting for holiday banquets and public concerts that drew people from across the city. In a time before large concert halls and civic centres, the Hall’s role in cultural life was enormous: celebrations, charity bazaars and winter assemblies all helped shape the social rhythm of Toronto’s Yuletide season.
The broader civic landscape — where city government, church and market met
The Market Square / King Street area was the beating heart of old municipal life. Earlier iterations of city structures and market buildings were lost to fire and rebuilt, but the concentration of institutions — civic, commercial and religious — meant that holiday events had an urban core. Parades, charity events, and community parties often radiated from that corner: St. Lawrence Hall provided the venue, St. Lawrence Market supplied the goods, and St. James Cathedral supplied the bells and processional gravitas — together producing a season that was as civic as it was domestic. A period scene (imagine it with us)
Picture dusk settling over King Street. Gas lamps glow along the curb. Market vendors drape evergreen over their stalls and hang orange and lemon sprays alongside strings of dried herbs. Ladies and gentlemen in their best coats slip into the Hall for a charity concert while children press faces to the market windows, stealing smells of roasting meat and spiced cakes. A brass band might play near the church steps; invitations for New Year’s assemblies rustle through the pockets of those strolling past the courthouse. That public intimacy — a market stall next to civic ceremony — is what gave Old York its holiday shape and stickiness in people’s memories.
From history to home: bring Old Toronto’s holiday spirit into your space
At Totally Toronto Art, we love that these historic moments are still with us — in architecture, in streetscapes, and in the stories families pass on each December. That’s why our prints and gift items celebrate Toronto’s storied corners, with collections inspired by the Market Block, St. Lawrence Hall, St. James Cathedral and the bustling King Street scene.
Here are a few ways our art helps you keep Old York’s holiday charm alive:
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Historic prints & archival-style posters — artful reproductions and original illustrations of St. Lawrence Hall and the Market block make memorable wall pieces for living rooms and offices. They’re perfect as holiday gifts for Toronto lovers.
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Market-inspired gift items — from greeting cards featuring vintage market scenes to tote bags and tea towels printed with seasonal market motifs, these are both useful and nostalgic.
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Curated holiday bundles — put together a vintage-St. Lawrence-themed set of a print, a set of cards, and a market-scene ornament — great for corporate holiday gifts or thoughtful local presents.
We design each piece with locals and visitors in mind: high-quality print arts that celebrate the civic places where Toronto’s social life — holidays included — has always flourished.
Wrap-up: continuity and community
The Market and Hall remind us that celebration is civic as much as private. Old York’s holiday life — from the bustle of the St. Lawrence Market to the concerts and assemblies at St. Lawrence Hall and the solemn presence of St. James Cathedral — shows how public spaces shape private seasons. When you hang a print of King Street in your home, you’re not just decorating; you’re connecting to a tradition of shared streets, shared tables, and shared celebrations that go back well over 170 years.
If you’d like, Totally Toronto Art can help you choose the perfect print or gift to celebrate Toronto’s Old Town this holiday season — from framed art for a mantelpiece to market-themed cards for your winter greetings. Browse our St. Lawrence and Old Toronto collections at totallytorontoart.com and bring a piece of King Street’s yuletide history home.
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