THORNCREST
by Robert A. Given
Thorncrest Village is the community on the north side of Rathburn Road between Islington and Kipling Avenues. Well over a century ago it was Thorncrest Park, the farm and summer home of Sir William Pearce Howland. Howland immigrated to Cooksville in 1830 and joined his brother Peleg in a general store of a Mr. Lewis which they later purchased. An Ontario Heritage plaque is on Dundas just west of Hurontario Street. In the early 1840s Howland leased, then purchased William Cooper's mills on the Humber at Dundas. A Canada Heritage plaque is on Old Dundas by the Lambton Hotel. Howland sympathized with Mackenzie's 1837 rebellion and was impressed by John George Lambton, the first Earl of Durham, who was sent by England to investigate and report.
Howland represented us in the riding of West York, served as Minister of Finance and other posts. He travelled to the London Conference making him the only American - born Father of Confederation. He was president of Confederation Life, the Ontario Bank, London and Canadian Loan Company, the Toronto Board of Trade, etc. Long after his death in 1906, his beautifully preserved Thorncrest home was known locally as the Lieut-Governor's summer residence, a position he held 1868-73. It is still an Etobicoke landmark. Carefully modernized, it is as sound as ever. It was built of 1"x 6" white pine boards laid flat on top of each other with edges staggered to form a plasterboard. "Sidelights of History", an illustrated guide to Etobicoke's Century Buildings by the Etobicoke Historical Board includes this jewel at 36 Rathburn Road...copies are again available at Montgomery's Inn.
In 1944 Marshall Maciagan Foss bought Thorncrest Park farm for a new community. He was an RCAF Wing Commander and former Montreal advertising executive who had ideas. He formed Thorncrest Development Company Limited. It was planned as a club type of country homes community owned by members of the Thorncrest Homes Association Inc. The association has its clubhouse, pool, tennis courts and children's play area.
To live in Thorncrest, a prospective home buyer or builder had to make application for membership, meet at least four directors and be accepted. Many years ago there was almost one case of racial discrimination in approving a member and his family. Due to a strong stand of the majority of the members, it never materialized. Now, the membership consists of many races and creeds. Each one adds a richness of ethnic culture, customs and abilities to the Thorncrest mosiac. Many a party representing various countries, foods and dances has been "hosted" by some of these members. Since there is no pressure to join in the community activities, some members take little or no part. Others participate with great enthusiasm. The Thorncrest Homes Association Inc. is operated by the home owners, each of whom has one vote. It works to maintain, improve and protect the common interests of all.
The layout for Thorncrest Village was designed by Dr. Eugene Giacomo Faludi of Town Planning Consultants Limited. Faludi was born in Budapest, received his doctorate in architecture at the University of Rome. He came to Canada in 1940 teaching at the University of Toronto where he met Anthony Adamson who was to become his partner. For Thorncrest Faludi twisted a lazy road across the 100-acre farm, and from it branched off cul-de-sacs. In the centre is the community centre and at the south-east corner a small shopping centre. Each of the original 180 lots was designed to offer the best use of topography and orientation to assure maximum effectiveness for each location, and to take advantage of excellent views and southern exposures.
Many of the homes were single storey, broadside to the street with large picture windows, sitting on a concrete slab rather than on a basement. There were to be no fences or outdoor clothes lines. The last of the original homes was completed in October 1959. E.C.S. Cox was the resident architect. In October 1981 the residents held a big party honouring Marshall Foss and his wife Mary Elizabeth Scarfe who named the streets like Pheasant Lane and The Wynd. By this time some of the small wood homes had been expanded to meet the needs of growing families. Others, to Foss's dismay, had been torn down and replaced with much bigger, more expensive homes. In 1975 the deed restrictions expired and were replaced by by-laws to protect the home owners.
After Thorncrest Village, Faludi was busy re-planning Humber Valley Village for the Home Smith Company who had developed Kingsway Park and the Old Mill area. Faludi was also preparing a 30-year plan for the Township of Etobicoke. A big presentation was made at The Old Mill, March 18-22, 1947, which was followed by local community meetings, Etobicoke Council's approval and that of the Minister of Planning and Development. Etobicoke was the first municipality within the Toronto Metropolitan area and the first township in all Canada to have a master plan.