Brunswick Avenue
The ANNEX was subdivided in the 1870's and 1880's. It immediately became one of Toronto's elite neighbourhoods, whose first residents included the likes of Timothy Eaton and George Gooderham, president of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery. The Annex's Golden Era lasted until the 1920's, when the upper classes began to migrate northward to newer, more fashionable suburbs in Forest Hill and Lawrence Park.
Annex Homes 6
Those who stayed behind helped form the Annex Residents Association, a powerful lobby group that saved the Annex from the proposed Spadina Expressway which would have divided the neighbourhood in half, had it been built. The Annex has endured and is now over one hundred years old. It remains one of Toronto's premier neighbourhoods, drawing its energy from the University of Toronto and its strength from diversity. It has its own community newspaper, the Annex Guardian. Its residents include prominent artists and writers such as Margaret Atwood, politicians, community leaders and successful business people, academics, media personalities, University of Toronto students and faculty, and people from all walks of life. Local acclaimed public schools include:
- Huron St. Jr. School
- Palmerston Ave. Jr. School
- Jesse Ketchum Jr. & Sr. School
- Lord Lansdowne Jr. & Sr. School
- King Edward Jr. & Sr. School
- Hawthorne Bilingual School
- Clinton St. Jr. School
- Central Technical School
- Rosedale Heights School of the Arts
- Harbord Collegiate Institute
Robarts Library of U of T
Many of the rooming houses and multi-unit homes in the Annex have been converted back to single family houses, reflecting the return to prominence of this historic Toronto neighbourhood. The Annex houses, built between 1880 and 1910 are fine examples of Victorian, Queen Anne and Richardsonian Romanesque architectural styles. Plum and pink colored Credit River sandstone, rich red brick, and terra cotta clay tiles, make up the exterior facades of many of these homes. The architectural detail is among the finest in the city, ranging from pyramidal roofs and turrets to recessed grand archways and wooden spindled porches. A second wave of less elaborate Annex homes built in the English Cottage, Georgian and Tudor styles, dates from 1910 to 1930.
Annex Frat House
The Annex's main shopping district is on Bloor Street. This stretch of stores from Bathurst to Avenue Road includes a shopper's dream mix of clothing boutiques, major-league bookstores, food markets, home furnishings & decor, restaurants, and outdoor cafes. The health-conscious will love the great variety of stores and restaurants featuring organic and health foods and supplements (Juice for Life, Eternal Abundance). There is a plethora of acclaimed ethnic restaurants (The Indian Rice Factory, Bangkok Express, Aida's Falafel) and plenty of delightful shops and boutiques where everything from the latest fashions (Risque, Secrets from your Sister) to whimsical gifts (SWAK, Annex Books, The Outer Layer) are on display.
The following lovely neighbourhood parks & recreation offer a breath of fresh air and activity to local residents:
- Jean Sibelius Square
- Christie Pitts Park
- Vermont Square
- University of Toronto
To the north, Dupont St. offers large chain stores such as the LCBO and a huge Shopper's Drug Mart, as well as professional services such as the landmark Creeds, which now offers such diverse things as cooking classes and home furnishings. The Mirvish Village shopping district on Markham Street, south of Bloor Street, is a quaint collection of great restaurants such as True Grit and Bordello, bookstores, art galleries, antique stores, and one-of-a-kind specialty stores. The Annex really comes alive at night when people from all over the city converge upon its restaurants, bars and nightclubs.
The Brunswick House
Fitness enthusiasts can get in shape at either the University of Toronto's Athletic Centre, or the Miles J. Nadal Jewish Community Centre at Bloor and Spadina. The Native Canadian Centre of Toronto located in the Annex at 16 Spadina Road, offers a variety of programs and services for Toronto's Native community as well as the general public. Other nearby community centres include:
- Trinity St. Paul's Centre, 427 Bloor St. West
- Lighthouse Community Centre, 1008 Bathurst
- Scadding Court Community Centre, 707 Dundas St. West
- Alexandra Park Community Centre, 105 Grange Crt
The Spadina Road Public Library at 10 Spadina Road, offers a wide variety of programming for neighbourhood residents, and the huge Toronto Reference Library is a short distance away at Yonge & Bloor (789 Yonge St). The Palmerston Library at 560 Palmerston Avenue, the Yorkville Library at 22 Yorkville and the College/Shaw branch at 766 College Street also serve the area. Casa Loma and Spadina House are nearby, offering acres of cultivated land, historical tours and demonstrations, and lavish architecture to be explored.
Annex Toronto 7
The Annex is well served by public transit. There are subway stations both at Spadina and at Bathurst on the Bloor-Danforth line, and at Dupont Street (at Spadina), on the Yonge-University-Spadina line. Motorists are within minutes of Toronto's business and entertainment districts and are approximately twenty five minutes from the commuter highways.
