GreekTown on the Danforth BIA

About the BIA

Toronto’s GreekTown neighbourhood is the largest Greek neighbourhood in North America and one of the most cosmopolitan areas of Toronto. Visitors to the neighbourhood come to experience interesting restaurants, boutiques, shops, markets, cafes, and a host of wonderful experiences and warm hospitality!

About the Activations

Through the pandemic, there has been a fundamental shift in who we think of as a hero. Creativity and community is everywhere on the Danforth, and it is the heroes behind small businesses that the Greektown BIA celebrates through this project by sharing their stories with the community at large.

Meet the GreekTown on the Danforth BIA Artist

The GreekTown on the Danforth BIA worked with Henry VanderSpek to bring the project to life.

Learn More About the BIA

We asked each BIA a series of questions to get to know them better. Here's what we found out:

What is one thing that is unique to your BIA?

In the Summer of 1982, the street signs in the BIA were replaced with the bilingual, colourful and distinctive blue and white signs that featured the street names in both Greek and English.

What is one fact about the BIA that most visitors won't know?

In the Fall of 1981, a competition was held at Danforth Technical School asking the students to design a branding logo for Danforth Village (GreekTown’s original name) with first prize winning of $75, second prize winning of $50 and the third runner up winning $25. In February 1982, Ms. Helen Panopoulos’ design, which was inspired by the splendour of ancient Greece, was given the honour and her Doric columns and laurel leaves became the official logo.

Where to Find the Tour

As of September 5th, 2021, the Humans of the Danforth exhibit is no longer available along Danforth Ave. Starting September 15th, the exhibit will be displayed at the Pape/Danforth branch of the Toronto Public Library until December 2021.

To learn more about the BIA's collaborating artist and their artwork please tap below!

Taking a cue from the wildly successful series, Humans of New York, Humans of the Danforth is a series of storefront installations that put a face and a human story to the businesses we love, or maybe haven’t yet gotten to know all along the Danforth.