Line of three-storey, semidetached houses
Retaining wall, Lansdowne civic car line
October 31, 1917
Photographer: Arthur Goss
City of Toronto Archives
RG 8, Series 4, Subseries 39, Item 35

 

The annexation period prompted a building boom as real estate developers and other speculators scrambled to fill in vacant lots within recently annexed areas. A significant feature of this building boom was the adoption of the semi-detached housing template as a popular and affordable option, both for builders and for buyers.

At the same time, there was a concerted effort by the City to quickly service annexed areas, building schools, police stations, fire halls, civic streetcar lines, and other public amenities. One by-product of the construction of the civic car-lines were the long rows of commercial structures with apartments above that sprung up along their routes.

 

1 pair semi-detached dwellings,
Glebeholme Blvd, elevation
August 9, 1919
Architect: H.G. Fulford
City of Toronto Archives,
Series 410, File 1834, Item 1

 

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