Wychwood Park

Truly one of a kind in Toronto, this unique area has less than 100 private homes, well-hidden between the many trees. The activities in the area are overseen by the community’s very own executive council, in charge of decisions about the whole of Wychwood Park. Access to the little-known green area with a small number of residents is possible only through its two entrances. The southern gate prevents traffic from flowing in and the northern entrance just off Tyrrel Avenue provides a regular vehicular entrance and exit. A pedestrian entrance can be found between 77 and 81 Alcina Avenue.

Wychwood Park, Toronto was designated as an Ontario Heritage Conservation district in 1985. Who could resist living in one of the houses that are listed on the Toronto Historical Board’s Inventory of Heritage Properties? The historic significance of Wychwood Park as Toronto’s earliest planned community lies also in the beautiful architecture of the Wychwood Park real estate, which reflects the English Arts and Crafts Movement, featuring simple compositions and traditional English house forms blended with naturally landscaped surroundings. Eden Smith was himself an enthusiast of this movement.

The exclusive and 100-per-cent residential Wychwood Park real estate in the community has developed from some standards and building restrictions imposed on the area. These laws prohibited any commercial activities in the community and the building of any row townhouses. Residents pay a special park tax in return for owning their properties in this exclusive location and enjoying the serenity of this neighbourhood together with the privacy they get when living in this gated community.

The unique community of Wychwood Park sits atop the Davenport Ridge and is defined by Davenport Road to the south, Alcina Avenue to the north, and a strip of land between Bathurst and Wychwood Avenue. The first houses of the founders, Matthews and Jardine, date back to the late 1800s, while the rest of the large houses were built between 1906 and 1935. Between the two World Wars, Wychwood Park trustees allowed a number of small lots to be built in the western part, looking slightly different than the original mansions. The youngest, modern-style buildings were constructed in the early 1950s.