The Mimico Beach Estates

This is the story of the Mimico Beach Estates. Growing up in Mimico I was often amazed and astonished by the remnants of the many large estates that used to line the waterfront of this former town. There was little information available on these estates and the people who lived in them. Some information was available in Harvey Currell's The Mimico Story published as a history of the town at the same time as it was being forced to amalgamate with the Borough of Etobicoke in 1967, but it was very brief. I had the appetite for more. So over the last 20 years I have been researching the fascinating people and their estates.  The ultimate goal is to create a richly illustrated book on the Mimico Beach Estates.

The Pioneers

Mimico began to look attractive to city dwellers as early as the mid 1870s when a nucleus of suburban cottage development began. These early pioneers occupied large lakefront estates south of the Lake Shore Road. The first three estates were established in 1875 by William Irving, a prominent Toronto architect, W.H. Sparrow and William Hewitt, successful Toronto merchants. John Kay followed a few years later.  However, with the construction of the streetcar line along the Lake Shore Road in the early 1890s the area became more accessible to Toronto. Many wealthy families began to move into the area to establish large lakefront estates. The area became a popular location and developers moved in to purchase farmland and subdivide it into new residential communities. In 1904 the Grand Trunk Railway established its westerly marshalling yards nearby and the area boomed.  By 1905 the population reached over 300 and Mimico gained status as a Police Village, giving the population limited autonomy from the Township of Etobicoke. The population rose to over 800 by 1911 when the community gained independence from Etobicoke Township as a full fledged Village, and then a Town in 1917. The community remained independent until 1967 when the provincial government forced it to amalgamate with the Borough of Etobicoke. Though many of the former lakefront estates were demolished and replaced by apartment developments in the 1950s and 1960s, a few of the grand houses remain.

Continued Threats

However many of them are vulnerable to loss. In the 1990s the Jessie Applegath House was demolished. Others are currently vacant and their future uncertain. 

The Charles Ring House was demolished in May 2011, and the John McBride House was demolished in December 2013.

Some of the homes have been listed by the former Etobicoke Historical Board but most have not been designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. Those which are listed are still vulnerable. Many of these homes deserve the additional protections that come from being designated under the Ontario Heritage Act. Many are architecturally and historically significant. 

Consideration could also be given to including what is left of the estates as part of a Heritage Conservation District. The creation of one of more Heritage Conservation District(s) in Mimico would follow the example of other well known residential areas in Toronto such as Cabbagetown, Wynchwood Park, Rosedale, Riverdale, Yorkville and others.  Each has a deep history.  

Designation as one or more Heritage Conservation Districts would provide protection of the heritage resource and certainty for existing owners that the homes on neighbouring lots would remain and not be developed with townhouses or condominiums.

In 2012, the city of Toronto undertook a heritage study as part of the Mimico by-the-lake Secondary Plan which included a good chunk of the Mimico Beach area.  It was an excellent start and many important heritage buildings were identified that require further study.  However the study area did not include the area west of Miles Road and so did not look at the majority of the Mimico Beach estate homes still standing.  As already noted there have been a number of losses in this area over the last few years.  

There have also been some successes.  The Fetherstonhaugh Gardener's Cottage was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2011 and will be with us for many years to come, and the highly significant Ormsby/Franceschini Estate was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act in the fall of 2013. 

Do you have information or photos of the Mimico Beach Estates? If so I would love to hear from you. 

Are you interested in keeping up to date on heritage issues in Mimico by being added to a heritage email list?

I can be reached at mimicohistory at hotmail.com.

All information and photographs on this site are copyrighted and may not be used without my permission.

© Copyright Michael Harrison 2010. All rights reserved.

(originally posted April 23, 2010)