George Taylor Denison bought park lot 17 and 18, the land between Major and Lippincott Streets, and built Belle Vue Estate. In 1889, Robert Denison, Georges third son, sold Belle Vue and it was demolished soon afterwards. Many of the street names had some connection to the Denisons: Denison, Bellevue, Major, Robert, Borden and Lippincott. The family donated the park to the community in 1897. Denison Square is now Bellevue Square.
Robert Denison donated the land at Bellevue and College and built St. Stephen-in-the-Fields Church. The architect painted this watercolour of the proposed Church of St-Stephen-in-the-Fields. On July 1 1858, John Strachan, the First Anglican Bishop of Toronto laid the corner stone for the Church and two years later, the church opened its doors. In 1861 St. Stephens opened a school that served 650 children and by 1862, it had one of the largest congregations in Toronto, playing an important role in being Mother Parish to St. Matthias, St. Mary Magdalene, St. Thomas, St. Philip, St. Barnabas and St. Anne, other churches in the area.
Ryerson Public School was first opened. The school first offered courses to children from poor and working-class families to help them to earn a living as soon as possible, since it was expected few of them would go on to high school.
No. 8 Hose Station across from the Church at College and Bellevue was one of three stations built to keep up with citys expansion in the late 19th century. In 1911, it became the first station to get a motor-driven fire engine.