Come celebrate spring by taking part in an historic walking tour of the West Annex on Sunday, April 26.
Freeman Real Estate is again hosting one of its free neighbourhood tours that will take participants on a trip down memory lane thanks to local history buff and retired school teacher Marilyn Spearin. As a resident of the West Annex, Marilyn will point out significant historic sites and buildings in addition to noting the homes of illustrious historic figures and the origins of the neighbourhood’s street names.

The walk begins at 1 p.m. and participants are asked to meet outside of Freeman Real Estate at 988 Bathurst St. just before that time. It runs about one hour and explores the area between Bloor Street West to the CPR tracks north of Dupont Street and from Bathurst on the west to Kendal/Dalton to the east.

The historic homes in Toronto’s Annex were built largely from the 1880s to early 1900s and they are great examples of a wide assortment of architectural styles including Victorian, Queen Anne, Edwardian, Georgian, English cottage and Romanesque.

Expect to learn about the former Cathedral of St. Alban-the-Martyr on Howland Ave. The construction of this magnificent Neo Gothic structure began in 1884 but certain events such as the death of its architect, the Boer War, WW I and the depression slowed enthusiasm and fundraising efforts. Today the church is home to St. George’s College, a private boys’ school.

Marilyn will share information about the Walmer Road Baptist Church. Built in 1889, the church at one time was the largest Baptist congregation in Canada.

We’ll see the house in which Timothy Eaton, the founder of Canada’s largest privately owned department store, lived. It’s at the corner of Lowther Ave. and Spadina.

And we’ll view the site of a gruesome murder that took place in 1915, when Charles Bert Massey was shot to death by a domestic servant, Carrie Davies. The scandal involving one of Canada’s most powerful families made international news. Davies was found not guilty of the murder.

Jane Jacobs was also a resident of the West Annex. A journalist, author and activist who influenced urban planning, she was a leader in the fight against the planned construction of the Spadina Expressway. Jacobs died in 2006 at the age of 89, but her sway on matters affecting how cities are planned and built still lives on.

The tour ends at Jean Sibelius Square at 50 Kendal Ave., where participants are invited to sit down, rest a bit and ask questions about the neighbourhood.

Those interested in taking the tour should register with Freeman Real Estate at 416-535-3103 or email us at frontdesk@freemanrealty.com.