Rexdale Boulevard: Rex Heslop “The Father of Rexdale”
Although many refer to the entire area north of Highway 401 in general as “Rexdale”, the streets east of Islington Av., between Allenby Av. and Hadrian Dr., was the original Rexdale subdivision. The area’s developer, Rex Wesley Heslop, has been called “The Father of Rexdale” and “Etobicoke’s Horatio Alger”. And we have him to thank for the Etobicoke street names Rexdale Blvd., Rex Gate, Delma Dr. and Heslop Dr.
Heslop was born on a farm in York Township in 1905. He first worked in construction, then in car sales in Detroit, followed by mining in northern Ontario. After an accident in 1947, he returned to Etobicoke and established Rex Heslop Homes Limited.
First he built 400 homes on land bought cheaply from the Township in the Alderwood area, west of Brown’s Line and north of Horner Av. The homes were built inexpensively using free plans from the government and prefabricated concrete panel exterior siding. He named two streets in this area Heslop Dr. and Delma Dr., the after his wife.
Once the cheap lots in Alderwood were gone, Heslop turned his attention to farmland north of the planned Hwy. 401. Malton’s aircraft industry was expanding and he knew that their workers would soon need housing. Etobicoke Township Council told Heslop they couldn’t pay for needed services, like sewers and schools, without new industry in the area. They made an agreement with him that he could continue building houses if he also established new industry at a ratio of 35% industrial assessment to 65% residential.
In 1951, Heslop bought the Wilbert Wardlaw farm on east side of Islington Av. to build houses. With Heslop’s help, seven industries soon bought building sites in the area. One of the first was Angelstone Ltd. on Taber Road, and their new decorative building product that simulates stone can be seen on houses throughout Rexdale. Within a few years, the Rexdale industrial area had grown to 122 hectares – the largest in the township. Reeve Bev Lewis described the deal they had made with Heslop as “the salvation of Etobicoke”.
On April 24, 1952, 40 employees of the AV Roe Aircraft Company in Malton met with Heslop and worked out an agreement to buy 40 homes on Allenby Av., the first homes sold in Rexdale. Many of them are brick, but some are faced with the same distinctive concrete siding that he had used earlier in Alderwood In December, 1952, a “Rexdale” post office opened in the old Wilbert Wardlaw farmhouse. A brand new Rexdale post office was built in 1955 on the east side of Kipling Av., north of Rexdale Blvd.
Heslop also built most of the area referred to as “New Rexdale”, west of Islington Av., north of Rexdale Blvd., as well as the “Sunnydale” subdivision between Kipling Av. and Martin Grove Rd., south of West Humber Blvd.
In 1958, Heslop moved into a new house he built for his family in Georgetown on Heslop Ct. in his newest subdivision, Delrex. Other Georgetown streets he named are Delrex Blvd., Rexway Dr., Marilyn Cres. (after his daughter) and Garnet Dr. (after his father.) However, when the project ran into major political problems and in-fighting, Heslop sold his interest and retired at age 61. He died in Georgetown in 1973.
Researched and Written by Denise Harris
Heslop was born on a farm in York Township in 1905. He first worked in construction, then in car sales in Detroit, followed by mining in northern Ontario. After an accident in 1947, he returned to Etobicoke and established Rex Heslop Homes Limited.
First he built 400 homes on land bought cheaply from the Township in the Alderwood area, west of Brown’s Line and north of Horner Av. The homes were built inexpensively using free plans from the government and prefabricated concrete panel exterior siding. He named two streets in this area Heslop Dr. and Delma Dr., the after his wife.
Once the cheap lots in Alderwood were gone, Heslop turned his attention to farmland north of the planned Hwy. 401. Malton’s aircraft industry was expanding and he knew that their workers would soon need housing. Etobicoke Township Council told Heslop they couldn’t pay for needed services, like sewers and schools, without new industry in the area. They made an agreement with him that he could continue building houses if he also established new industry at a ratio of 35% industrial assessment to 65% residential.
In 1951, Heslop bought the Wilbert Wardlaw farm on east side of Islington Av. to build houses. With Heslop’s help, seven industries soon bought building sites in the area. One of the first was Angelstone Ltd. on Taber Road, and their new decorative building product that simulates stone can be seen on houses throughout Rexdale. Within a few years, the Rexdale industrial area had grown to 122 hectares – the largest in the township. Reeve Bev Lewis described the deal they had made with Heslop as “the salvation of Etobicoke”.
On April 24, 1952, 40 employees of the AV Roe Aircraft Company in Malton met with Heslop and worked out an agreement to buy 40 homes on Allenby Av., the first homes sold in Rexdale. Many of them are brick, but some are faced with the same distinctive concrete siding that he had used earlier in Alderwood In December, 1952, a “Rexdale” post office opened in the old Wilbert Wardlaw farmhouse. A brand new Rexdale post office was built in 1955 on the east side of Kipling Av., north of Rexdale Blvd.
Heslop also built most of the area referred to as “New Rexdale”, west of Islington Av., north of Rexdale Blvd., as well as the “Sunnydale” subdivision between Kipling Av. and Martin Grove Rd., south of West Humber Blvd.
In 1958, Heslop moved into a new house he built for his family in Georgetown on Heslop Ct. in his newest subdivision, Delrex. Other Georgetown streets he named are Delrex Blvd., Rexway Dr., Marilyn Cres. (after his daughter) and Garnet Dr. (after his father.) However, when the project ran into major political problems and in-fighting, Heslop sold his interest and retired at age 61. He died in Georgetown in 1973.
Researched and Written by Denise Harris