Urbanism
Studio
Early Settlements and Infrastructures (1842)
I. DUBLIN FARM
II. DOWNSVIEW HOUSE:
- The name Downsview came from the “view” of the “downs” named by the Bull family, being one of the highest elevations in the township of York, where the family can see Lake Ontario from their home.
- John Perkins Bull, the son of the couple, became a religious man. He later opened his home for the Wesleyan Methodist Church services. Later, John became a Justice of the Peace. He built a court room beside this house, and a jail in its basement. This house still stands at 450 Rustic Rd. and is listed as one of Toronto’s Heritage properties.
III. DOWNSVIEW POST OFFICE
IV. GORE AND VAUGHAN PLANK ROAD
V. DOWNSVIEW UNITED CHURCH:
- is originally known as York Wesleyan Methodist Church. After using the Downs View house for its services, the church transferred to a log meeting house which also accommodated the local school. This local school was then bought and enlarged in 1887. It served as a school until it was demolished and replaced by the current Downsview Public School in 1948.
- The new church was laid on the west side of Keele St. on June 28, 1870. It was renamed as the Downsview United Church when the Presbyterians, Methodists, and other denominations came and joined together under the United Church Banner. The church was designed by Architect J.W. Stubbs, and is by far Downsview's most beautiful landmark, has a great reputation for its gothic revival architecture. This church is one of the only four churches in North York that still stands.
VI. LOCUST LODGE:
- was built by Edward Boake and his wife. They named their homestead Locust Lodge because of the thousand locust trees that surrounded the area. The house was heated by wood burning stoves until electricity was run in Keele Street in 1916. For generations, the Boake family had this as their home until 1951 when the government expropriated the land for a military base.
VII. DOWNSVIEW TRAIN STATION:
- In 1853, Downsview's growth accelerated when the Ontario, Simcoe and Huron Union Railroad Company (OSHA) opened a railway from Toronto to Barrie. This line, dubbed the "Oats, Straw and Hay" line, primarily transported agricultural goods and lumber. At the time, Downsview was heavily forested, with several mills operating along the Humber River. The Downsview Train Station is thought to have been located on Lawrence Avenue between Keele and Dufferin, as Lawrence served as the main entry point to Downsview then.
VIII. GEORGE JACKSON HOUSE:
- George Jackson inherited 200 acres of land from his father William, who purchased it in 1830. In 1896, George built a red-brick farmhouse, where he and his wife Sarah farmed and raised their family. The Jackson family lived on the property until 1967. Artifacts from the family, including schoolwork from their daughters, provide insights into the era, with one essay supporting women's suffrage during World War I. The farmhouse, blending Queen Anne Revival and Richardsonian Romanesque styles, represents 19th-century agricultural life in Downsview. In 2012, it was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and now serves as office space.