O’Connor-Parkview

Taylor Massey Trail
260 Dawes Road (accessible from Taylor Creek Park)
The 3.5-kilometre Taylor Massey Trail follows the southeastern section of the 16-kilometre long Taylor Massey Creek, a tributary of the Don River, named for the Taylor and Massey families, each of which had a significant historical impact on the area. This public green space is a special section of the creek, with much of its remaining length channelized or piped underground in urban areas or private property. The Taylor Massey Project, led by Friends of the Don East, is a regeneration project to expand the public trails, regenerate natural systems and reduce pollutants in the stream, which today has the most contaminates leading to Lake Ontario from storm runoff. The Taylor Massey Trail is significant for its natural environment, including wetlands, meadows, woodlands, and parks. The trail is also a great spot for hiking and walking, off-road cycling, and snowshoeing.

Toronto Public Library - Dawes Road Branch
416 Dawes Road
This Toronto Public Library branch was originally located in Harmony Hall, a building on Dawes Road that was constructed in 1967 by the East York Barbershop Chorus for their own use as well as for seniors and other community members. It moved to this current location when this building was constructed in 1976. It was the first public library building in Canada to be a part of a condominium building. It has undergone a few alterations over the years, and now boasts special features such as a collection of Chinese, Hindi, and Bengali DVDs. There are currently plans to extensively renovate this branch in order to include a new Community Hub.

Joshua Cronkwright Parkette
504 Dawes Road
The path to enter this parkette is on Dawes Road. The parkette is located between a couple of apartment buildings. There are benches to watch the action in and around the parkette. There is a small playground with some slides, climbing equipment and swings for children to roam and explore while being outdoors. The parkette is named in honour of Joshua Cronkwright, a well-known and well-loved 7-year-old from the neighbourhood who helped bring it to fruition. Cronkwright and his family helped maintain the space over the years and was instrumental in getting a new playground installed. When Cronkwright sadly passed away of cancer, the parkette was named after him as a tribute. It is the first park in Toronto to have been named after a child.

Noel Harding 'Dawes Crossing'
1052 Victoria Park Avenue
Part building and part art installation, this environmentally friendly public art project interacts with its natural surroundings while functioning as a community meeting place. The structure is an event space with shelter, benches and free Wi-Fi, generating its own power through solar panels and a wind turbine. Commissioned by the City of Toronto and created by artist Noel Harding in 2012, the sculpture is located in a patch of green space at the intersection of Victoria Park Avenue and Dawes Road.

'Exotica' Filming Location
1531 O'Connor Drive
This strip mall was used as a filming location for Atom Egoyan's 1994 film 'Exotica'. The apartment above the store is depicted as the home of the character Harold and his daughter Tracey (played by Victor Garber and Sarah Polley respectively). Atom Egoyan is an Armenian-Canadian who moved to Canada when he was three years old, and began his career by making short films while studying at the University of Toronto. Today he is considered one of Canada's most accomplished and influential filmmakers. 'Exotica' was Egoyan's biggest box office success, and was highly lauded by critics, winning the International Critics Prize at the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, and eight Genie Awards, including Best Motion Picture and Best Director.

Topham Park
181 Westview Boulevard
A two-hectare park near St. Clair Avenue East and O'Connor Drive featuring three ball diamonds including one that has lights, two lit tennis courts, a wading pool and a children's playground. At the north end of the park is the Topham Park Community Centre and Clubhouse. The park is named for Frederick Topham, a war veteran who was the recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for military valour that can be won by a Canadian. The neighbourhood surrounding the park that goes by the same name was developed by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation in the 1940s at the end of the Second World War. Many of the streets were given names inspired by the military, including Warvet Crescent and Valor Boulevard. Merritt Road is named after Charles Cecil Merritt, the first Canadian recipient of the Victoria Cross in the Second World War.

Evond Blake Mural
986 O'Connor Drive
These two visually powerful murals on the north and south facing sides of a two-storey building were designed to be a talking point and foster a sense of pride of place in the local community.

Parkview Hills Gates
Intersection of St. Clair Avenue East and Sandra Road
The Parkview Hills neighbourhood was once part of a vast estate owned by the Taylor family, who moved to the Don Valley in the 1820s and built up a business empire that included the nearby Don Valley Brickworks. Members of the family were involved in developing the area into a residential subdivision and were responsible for naming several of the streets in the area, including White Pine Avenue and Alder Road, which are named after trees that once grew here. When the first homes were constructed here in the late 1940s, teams of horses were used to dig out the foundations, and no roads were paved until 1950. These gates mark the entrance to the neighbourhood, with an inscription reading 'Parkview Gardens' , the name of the small park surrounding them.

Mary Pickford House
90 Glenwood Crescent
*Note: Private property. Please observe the house from the street only. This heritage-designated home is commonly known as the Mary Pickford House because of its association with the famous Canadian movie star. Mary Pickford was born in Toronto and became one of the biggest movie stars in the world during the silent film era. The home was constructed in 1943 as a project to raise money for victims of the Second World War. Pickford donated the land for the house, and was on hand to officially open it in May 1943. It is considered to be among the first homes in the neighbourhood now known as Woodbine Gardens. Architecturally, the house is an example of French Period Revival style, featuring a hipped roof with gables and stone chimneys.

Woodbine Bridge
Along O'Connor Drive between Woodbine Avenue and Glenwood Crescent
This long bridge over the Taylor-Massey Creek Valley was constructed in 1932 at a cost of $275,000. It opened up access to the eastern side of the valley and allowed for the development of the Woodbine Gardens neighbourhood in the 1940s. The bridge is among the largest in Toronto measuring almost 250 metres in length, and 15 metres in width. It is noted for featuring a highly ornate design with a beautiful archway over the river valley, and still contains most of its original elements. It is considered to be one of the most historically significant concrete arch bridges in Ontario.