We’re pleased to let you know that the WMSC will be participating in Jane’s Walk this year. Jane’s Walk is a festival of free community-led walks held across the world in honour of urbanist and activist Jane Jacobs. Jacobs lived for many years in Toronto, and promoted the value of the walkable city.
The WMSC is supporting “High Park: An Arts and Crafts Inspired Tour of Eden Smith Homes” on Saturday, May 2 at 2 pm. The walk will be led by Adrian Gamble.
Founded in 1876 following a 120-acre land grant to the City of Toronto by surveyor and civil engineer John George Howard (1803-1890), High Park has long since been a treasured public space. Soon after its founding and subsequent expansions, developers lost little time subdividing the lands to the north and east of the park, with new neighbourhoods and homes seemingly rising overnight.
Among the first to make the move was Arts and Crafts architect Eden Smith (1858-1949) who built a collection of homes along Indian Road and Boustead Avenue just east of High Park. Built for himself and his friends and acquaintances from the Toronto arts scene, Smith’s High Park homes were inspired by the natural beauty of the park. In keeping with the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement, Smith’s High Park homes feature natural materials, traditional craftsmanship, and a strong reliance on the picturesque. Built into their surroundings, these homes, as a precursor to Smith’s later designs in Wychwood Park, remain a testament to the architect’s unique vision.
The tour will begin at the Eden Smith House at 267 Indian Road and continue north to Boustead Avenue passing several fine examples of the architect’s work.
Walk Start Location:
High Park: Eden Smith House at 267 Indian Road (south of Hewitt Avenue)
Walk End Location:
High Park: Ivy Lodge at 94 Boustead Avenue (east of Indian Road)
Adrian Gamble (PhD) is a historian, lecturer, and Heritage Planner for the City of Toronto. Adrian’s PhD specialized in the cultural history of the Canadian Arts and Crafts Movement and domestic revival with a focus on the work of architects Eden Smith of Toronto, Percy Nobbs of Montreal, and Samuel Maclure of Victoria/Vancouver.
No registration is required. This is an opportunity for our own members, and to "spread the word" to the general public about the WMSC.
https://www.janeswalkfestivalto.com/saturday-may-2-2026-1/high-park-an-arts-and-crafts-inspired-tour-of-eden-smith-homes
