The Annex
The Annex was first subdivided in 1879 and continued to expand into the 1880’s. It was once home to an elite group of affluent people before they migrated to newer more fashionable suburbs. The Annex's first residents included the likes of Timothy Eaton, the patriarch of Eaton’s department store, and George Gooderham, president of the Gooderham and Worts Distillery. The neighbourhood today still remains one of Toronto’s premier neighbourhoods.
The residential tree-lined streets are filled with Victorian, Queen Anne, Edwardian and Richardsonian Romanesque homes and mansions, which were built between 1880 and the 1900’s. Between the 1950’s and 1960’s mid-rise and high-rise apartment buildings began popping up to meet the needs of the eclectic community. The Annex is a great neighbourhood to appreciate fine architect and detail. The exterior facades of the homes are decorated with plum and pink Credit River sandstone, red brick and terra cotta clay tiles. The detail is among the finest in the city, with pyramidal roofs, turrets, grand archways and wooden spindled porches.
There was a second wave of homes between 1910-1930, which are less elaborated and detailed, but they are still beautiful English Cottage, Georgian and Tudor homes.
Lifestyle in The Annex is exciting and colourful. The main shopping and social district is on Bloor Street. It’s filled with clothing boutiques, bookstores, food markets, travel agencies, trendy restaurants and bars and cafes. It has a very active nightlife and makes a good fit for those who love a night out on the town after a long week.