Established in 1959, York University initially was affiliated with the University of Toronto but became independent in 1965. Its first campus in 1961 was Glendon College, located at Lawrence Avenue West and Bayview Avenue. Glendon continues as a smaller university campus with a focus on multilingual education. York University’s main campus opened in 1965 in the vicinity of Keele Street and Steeles Avenue. With its remote location and poor public transit options, it was considered a commuter university with abundant parking lots. It also was characterized by buildings designed in the Brutalist style spaced a long distance apart. In recent years though, the campus has become more densely populated, and the two new subway stations on Line 1 that opened in 2017 provide much improved public transit service for the York U community.
