Princess-Rosethorn

Welcome to Islington Mural
Along Dundas Street West near Riverbank Drive
This mural is painted along a bridge over Mimico Creek, and meant to welcome people to the Village of Islington neighbourhood. It depicts Montgomery's Inn and some of the important neighbourhood historical figures associated with it. It was painted by artist John Kuna in 2011 as part of the Village of Islington's Mural Mosaic, which features 28 murals highlighting the history of the area painted on the sides of buildings along Dundas Street West. Tours of the murals can be arranged through the Village of Islington BIA's website.

Moore Farm
18 Great Oak Drive
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This heritage-designated farmhouse is the fifth oldest building in Etobicoke. It was constructed as a farmhouse for the Moore family between 1842 and 1851. The Moores ran one of the most successful farms in Etobicoke at the time, with tax records showing that it was valued among the top 15 percent of farms in the area. The farmhouse was designed by William Tyrell, who also designed the nearby heritage-designated St. George's Church on the Hill at 4600 Dundas Street West. It is a fine example of a Georgian farmhouse, with brick laid in a Flemish-bond pattern (now painted over white), and an eight-paneled 'double cross' main door. The home and estate land remained with descendants of the Moore family until 1946, when it was purchased by developer George P. Wood, who incorporated the home into the new Islington Heights subdivision.

Thorncrest Plaza
1500 Islington Avenue
This shopping plaza was constructed as part of Thorncrest Village, a residential development that is considered among the first post-Second World War planned communities in Canada. Thorncrest Village was developed when Marshall Foss (an ex-Royal Canadian Air Force Wing Commander) hired urban planner Eugene Faludi to design a new community on a one-hundred-acre plot of land. The plan was to build 180 single-family homes on the land with a country club atmosphere. Part of the plans included this shopping centre, with construction beginning in 1955. Thorncrest Plaza was unique in that it was pie shaped (a design by architects Robert Hanks and Norman Irwin) and was intended for small, local businesses. With its small scale and visually appealing fieldstone facades, it is an excellent example of a shopping plaza built to meet the needs of the new, modern suburbs popping up all over this area in the post-war era.

'Room' Filming Location
9 Aylesbury Road
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This home was used as a filming location for the hit 2015 movie 'Room', starring Brie Larson and Jacob Tremblay and written for the screen by Emma Donoghue, an Irish-Canadian writer. It is the setting for Nancy and Leo Newsome's house, who were played by Joan Allen and Tom McCamus respectively.

Former Residence of Prime Minister Stephen Harper
57 Princess Anne Crescent
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. Future Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper called this address home during his teenage years. Harper was born in Toronto on April 30, 1959 and originally lived in the Leaside area for much of his early childhood in the sixties. Harper's family then moved to this house in 1971, where he lived until 1978. While living here, he attended John G. Althouse Middle School and Richview Collegiate Institute nearby. At Richview Collegiate, Harper was a noted long-distance runner and was a member of the Reach for the Top club, graduating in 1978. Harper served as Prime Minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper's time in this neighbourhood is part of the reason why he has been referred to as 'Canada's first suburban prime minister.'

Richview Collegiate Institute
1738 Islington Avenue
Richview Collegiate Institute has been a crucial community hub in the neighbourhood since 1958. Richview is notable in that it has produced a significant amount of famous alumni. These include Canada's former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player (MVP) winner Joey Votto, Toronto Star Publisher John Cruickshank, former Atlanta Thrashers captain Scott Mellanby, author Janice Kulyk-Keefer, and television host Gurdeep Ahluwalia, among others.

Plast Huculak Centre
516 The Kingsway
Plast is a youth organization that promotes love for the Ukrainian community and aims to foster its continued well-being. It traces its roots back to 1911-12 in Lviv, Ukraine, where it was based on the model of the Boy Scouts in Great Britain. Plast was present in Western Ukraine until 1930, and was then transplanted to many countries where Ukrainian refugees settled after the Second World War. Branches were established all across Canada, including Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, and St. Catharines. A system of merit badges are awarded to youth participating in their various programs, which are conducted in Ukrainian. This building Plast operates out of was previously St. Luke's United Church. The property was purchased by Order of Canada recipient Erast Huculak and his wife Delores Buka-Huculak, and donated to Plast for their use in 2010. Plast also offers up use of the building to other community organizations for gatherings and events.

Lloyd Manor Park
147 Lloyd Manor Road
A 1.7-hectare park near Kipling Avenue and Eglinton Avenue West that features a children's playground and a large open green space.

Robert Coulter House
112 Ravenscrest Drive
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This heritage-designated home was built in 1874 by Robert Coulter, a farmer who had moved to Etobicoke from County Down in Ireland in his youth. It is unknown who designed the house, but it contains several architectural features that are found on similar farmhouses constructed throughout Etobicoke during this time period. Members of the Coulter family continued to live here until 1955, when it was still surrounded by a largely agricultural setting and had no running water or sewer service. Eventually, the area was developed into a subdivision, with the home's laneway transformed into present-day Ravenscrest Drive. One notable person who lived here after the departure of the Coulters was Victor Kugler, a member of the Dutch Resistance who helped to shelter Anne Frank in Amsterdam during the Second World War (he is referred to in her famous diary as, 'Mr. Victor Kraler').

Glen Agar Park
331 Martin Grove Road
This 3.2-hectare park features a children's playground and a large open green space. The Robert Coulter House would have overlooked the ravine that is situated in the park now. Cows from the farm still roamed the land as late as 1955, before the surrounding area was turned into a subdivision.

Ravenscrest Park
305 Martin Grove Road
A wooded ravine park near Martin Grove Road and Rathburn Road. The park follows Mimico Creek south where it flows into Hampshire Heights Park. The Mimico Creek Trail runs along the east bank of Mimico Creek through the park, with lovely forested areas surrounding it.

Bigham-Agar Homestead
190 Rathburn Road
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This heritage-designated farmhouse was built on the property of Andrew Bigham. It is unknown when the home was actually constructed, but its unique architectural 'saltbox' style would suggest that it was built sometime around 1840. Notable architectural features include an open verandah covered by a bell cant roof, and windows topped by stone radiating arches. Mary Ann Agar - the niece of a Bigham descendant - inherited the property around 1917 and continued to farm the land. After being in the Bigham/Agar family for 145 years, the land surrounding the home was sold and developed into the Glen Agar subdivision.