Someone is trying to officially name Toronto’s famous Graffiti Alley

Located in Toronto’s Fashion District, Graffiti Alley has indisputably become one of the best places to admire and explore the city’s vibrant street art and mural culture. 

Although you can find the unofficial name “Graffiti Alley” signage on the public lane, it has never actually been formally named by by-law, and according to city staff, is simply known as “Ln S Queen W Spadina” and “Ln S Queen E Augusta” in its mapping database. 

However, the chair of the Toronto and East York Community Preservation Panel, Adam Wynne, is seeking to change that by formally naming the vibrant lanes “Graffiti Alley.” 

“Since the 1980s/1990s, Graffiti Alley has been a globally renown hotspot for urban street art. In the 2000s, City of Toronto posted signage identifying the name of this famous laneway,” a statement by Wynne reads. 

“However no motion has ever been passed by City Council to formally name these laneways Graffiti Alley. I first brought this clerical discrepancy to the attention of the City of Toronto in 2017. To date, it has not been addressed.” 

The vibrant alley runs parallel to Queen Street West, and has grown to become a popular backdrop for photoshoots, and a place to observe the colourful works by artists such as ELICSER, uber5000, and Duro the Third. 

The alley runs for roughly 500 metres and sprawls across several blocks, reaching other side laneways between Queen Street West and Richmond Street West. 

The completed street naming application was submitted back in August, and the Toronto and East York Community Preservation Panel is still waiting on a response from the City.