Discover Toronto's history as told through its plaques
2004 - Now in our 15th Year - 2019
To see what's new on this site, you can visit the Home Page
Looking at this page on a smartphone?
For best viewing, hold your phone in Landscape mode (Horizontal)
Kew Williams House 1902
Photos and transcription by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted September, 2015
In The Beach at 30 Lee Avenue, south of Queen Street East, stands this former home. Here's what the 2015 Heritage Toronto plaque says:
Coordinates: 43.66817 -79.29711 |
 |
Kew Williams (1873-1956) built this house for his wife, Bertha Curran, in The Canadian Kew Gardens, a campground resort opened in 1879 by his parents, Joseph Williams and Jane Henry. Using mostly shale and limestone that Kew and his brothers gathered from Lake Ontario and transported here by schooner, this two-storey stone building was designed in the Queen Anne Revival style. It features an asymmetrical front façade, a variety of window types, a corner tower with a bell-shaped roof, and a round verandah. Joseph Williams sold the house and 8 ha property to the City of Toronto in 1907. A year later, this was the only building not moved or demolished when Kew Gardens was made into a public park. The house was a residence for the park caretakers from 1911 until 2002, before becoming an occasional community event facility.
Related webpages
Kew Williams
Kew Gardens
Queen Anne Revival
More Beach neighbourhood plaques
The Beach Hebrew Institute
Beaches Branch, Toronto Public Library 1916
Community Centre 55
Dr. William D. Young Memorial
Glenn Gould
Norway Post Office
Scarboro' Beach Amusement Park
St. John the Baptist, Norway
William Stewart Darling House 1873-1876
Here are the visitors' comments for this page.
(none yet)
Here's where you can send me a comment for this page.
Note: Your email address will be posted at the end of your comment so others can respond to you unless you request otherwise.
Note: Comments are moderated. Yours will appear on this page within 24 hours (usually much sooner).
Note: As soon as I have posted your comment, a reply to your email will be sent informing you.
To send me your comment, click [email protected].
Thanks
Webmaster
Note: If you wish to send me a personal email, click here.