Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan

This article is about a neighborhood in Toronto. For other uses of Tam O'Shanter, see Tam o' Shanter.

Tam O'Shanter – Sullivan
Neighbourhood
Sullivan is west of Warden while Tam O'Shanter is east
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Toronto
Community	Scarborough
Changed Municipality	1998 Toronto from Scarborough
Government
• MP	Arnold Chan (Scarborough—Agincourt)
• MPP	Soo Wong (Scarborough—Agincourt)
• Councillor	Jim Karygiannis (Ward 39 Scarborough—Agincourt)

Tam O'Shanter – Sullivan is a neighbourhood in the east end of the city of Toronto, in the district of Scarborough. The neighbourhood is bordered by Huntingwood Drive to the North, Kennedy Road to the East, Highway 401 to the South and Victoria Park (and Pharmacy Ave) to the West. The neighbourhood, which includes the Tam O'Shanter (east of Warden) and Sullivan (west of Warden) communities, takes its name from Tam O'Shanter golf course and O'Sullivan's Corners.

The neighbourhood is sometimes included as part of the neighbourhood of Agincourt, which borders Tam O'Shanter to the east. Both regions are part of the electoral district of Scarborough—Agincourt, and the Agincourt Mall is located in Tam O'Shanter.

Sullivan Community

O'Sullivan's Corners, located at the corner of Victoria Park and Sheppard Avenues, was named after Patrick O'Sullivan, and consisted of a hotel and a post office, which opened in 1892. The post office was closed in 1912, but reopened in 1956 in the drug store in Wishing Well Plaza at the south-east corner of Pharmacy and Sheppard, as a result of the residential developments in the area. A gas station used to be located here along with a hamburger restaurant, Johnny's Hamburgers, which still stands to this day. A new retail development has been built around Johnny's.

The first subdivision in the neighbourhood, "Town and Country" was bordered by Victoria Park Avenue, Sheppard Avenue, Pharmacy and Ontario Highway 401 (then known as the Toronto By-Pass), or the north part of Lot 35, Concession II, Scarborough Township. The land had been farmed by Thomas Mason. Town and Country was not connected to the sewer system, and the houses all had their own septic systems. The headwaters of Taylor-Massey Creek ran underground through the subdivision, above ground through Wishing Well Park, and under Highway 401. With the widening of the 401, the above-ground portion of the creek was buried and the headwaters were rerouted to Highland Creek.

The next subdivision, "Wishing Well Acres" was east of Pharmacy on the north part of Lots 33 and 34, Concession II, which had been farmed by Christopher Thomson and Ichabod Vradenburg(h) in the 1870s. The neighbourhood school and the street it is on were named after the Vradenburgs, although the spelling of the street name has been inexplicably changed. Wishing Well Acres was the site of the millionth home built in Canada after World War I. Famous residents of the area include Brad Park and Mike Levine of Triumph.

From 1927 to 1946, Harry C. Hatch raised and trained five King's Plate winners on his farm at the northeast corner of Pharmacy and Sheppard, including Monsweep (1936), Goldlure(1937), Budpath(1941), Acara(1944) and Uttermost(1945).

The farm, and others in the area were was purchased by the Robert McClintock Company for residential development of Bridlewood in the 1960s. The company was awarded the Ontario Urban Development Institute Award for the finest development of the year for Bridlewood Phase I in 1964 and Phase II in 1966. Famous residents of Bridlewood include Mike Myers, whose Wayne's World character was inspired by growing up in the area, Eric McCormack (Will & Grace), and David Furnish, who all attended Bridlewood Public School.

Education

Secular schools

• Bridlewood Jr P.S.
• Inglewood Jr P.S.
• Lynngate Jr P.S.
• Pauline Johnson Jr P.S.
• Tam O'Shanter Jr P.S.
• Vradenburg Jr P.S.
• J.B. Tyrrell Sr P.S.
• John Buchan Sr P.S.
• Sir John A. MacDonald Collegiate Institute
• Stephen Leacock Collegiate Institute

Separate schools

• Holy Spirit C.S.

While there's no Catholic high school located within the proximity of Tam O'Shanter – Sullivan, its students from that neighbourhood typically attend Mary Ward Catholic Secondary School, Francis Libermann Catholic High School, Jean Vanier Catholic Secondary School, Senator O'Connor College School, Brebeuf College School and/or St. Joseph's Morrow Park Catholic Secondary School (the latter three are located within North York).

External links

• Toronto Neighbourhood Maps
• L'Amoreaux at TorontoNeighbourhoods
• Tam O'Shanter-Sullivan neighbourhood profile at the City of Toronto website