historical walking tour of - Toronto Public Library

23 and 25 Walker Avenue, February 25, 1996
• WALKER AVENUE RESIDENCES
The residences on Walker Avenue represent
a variety of architectural styles,
housing types and historic periods_ Several
Victorian houses from the early days of the
street remain, although many have been renovated.
In the 1980s, part of the street was
redeveloped with townhouse projects, and a
new mixed-use commercial/residential
building was constructed on the northwest
comer ofYonge Street. A cluster of 34 townhouses
in six buildings at 10 Walker Avenue
(Ernest Annau, 1980) won an award of
excellence from the Canadian Architect
Yearbook.
Walker Avenue was named for the family
of Walter Walker, who in 1835 bought
property fronting Yonge Street, on the south
side of today's street and one foot on the
north side. His lot (21, Concession 2)
extended west of Yonge almost to the present
Avenue Road. It later became the
boundary line between the town of Yorkville
14
and York Township. After Yorkville was
annexed to Toronto in 1883, Walker Avenue
was the north city llmlt for a few years.
Walker Avenue was created in 1880
when John Walker, Robert Walker, Walter
Walker and three other owners subdivided
the property of the "late Walter Walker" into
building lots, re-subdivided into l smaller
parcels in 1883. (Sloan and Purves'
Directory of the Village of Yorkville (1876)
listed John Walker as a waggon maker,
Robert Walker as a blacksmith, and Walter
Walker as a councillor and a builder.) The
north side of Walker Avenue was then part
of the Morrison estate, Woodlawn. (See site
5.) It was subdivided into lots in 1886, and
became part of the city in 1888. The south
side of Walker Avenue was developed sooner
than the north side. In 1889, the city
directory had 12 listings for the south side of
the street, but the north side was "vacant
lots, unfinished houses, and private
grounds."