New Arrivals on the Farm

There may be recent births or arrivals at the farm with new additions to the Riverdale Farm family.

Riverdale Farm Buildings

The Francey Barn

This barn is located inside the main gates. Originally built in 1858 on a farm in the Markham Township, it was donated by Mrs. Garnett Francey to the City of Toronto in 1977. The Francey Barn is a rare type of architecture, known as a Pennsylvania Bank Barn. Bank Barns are built on the side of hills or river banks. This has the advantage of having an upper and lower floor accessible from ground level. The animals are housed on the lower level, while upstairs the Francey Barn holds tonnes of hay, straw and feed.

The Simpson House

The Victorian-style farmhouse, named after the restoration architect ( Napier Simpson Jr.) who built it, is to the left of the main entrance. It is a reproduction of the original Francey farmhouse to complement the Francey Barn. Public washrooms are located on the ground floor. The “Friends of the Farm” Shop and Kitchen are open daily Tuesday thru Sunday from 10:30 am to 3:00 pm. Wheelchair access is on the north side of the Simpson House.

The Pig and Poultry Barn

The Barn is located to the east of the Simpson House. Domesticated waterfowl, chickens, turkeys and pigs are found in and around this barn. During the day our water fowl can be found visiting the Duck Pond located across from the Meeting House. At present the farm is replenishing the flock of chickens, our young hens have not begun to lay eggs as yet. When they do, we will be selling fresh farm eggs from the Meeting House details to follow.

The Driveshed

At Riverdale Farm, this building serves a number of purposes and is often open to the public for special events and seasonal education / interpretive programs.

The Meeting House

The three-storey building, completed in 1993 is located at the east-end of Riverdale Farm by the duck pond. Recreational and interpretive activities are offered to the public inside the Meeting House. The farm’s lost and found, first aid, public washrooms and baby changing facilities are all found on the main floor. Pottery and spinning/weaving rooms are located downstairs. Classes are offered seasonally from September to June. The Meeting House is the home base of the Farm’s Summer Camp Programs.

The Old Zoo Ruins

From 1894 to 1974, the Riverdale Zoo was located on this site. When the Metro Zoo opened in Scarborough in 1974, the site was restored as a farm to provide city children the chance to see how a farm works.

Three buildings remain from the old Riverdale Zoo:

• Donnybrook Ruin stands beside the cow paddock. It was originally a two-storey building, but a tower and a main floor is all that remains today.
• Island House sits in the middle of the lower pond. It housed many different kinds of birds and animals during the eighty years of the zoo.
• Resident Zookeeper’s House is located beside the Meeting House. It was built in 1902 by prisoners of the Toronto Don Jail and functioned as a residence, a staff building, zoo hospital, and temporary morgue for the Necropolis Cemetery. Today, the “Residence” (as it is now called) is used for a variety of farm-related and community-based programs.

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