Toronto’s “Central” Park Villa

One of my favorite spots for lunch break spots, I try to bike here quite often to sooth my mind from work.

Located on the edge of Toronto Downtown, in a way, Riverdale Park is a bit like Stanley Park in Vancouver or Central Park in New York, a green space in the middle of a big city.

The charm about Riverdale Park is unlike the other two, surrounded by tall skyscrapers, Riverdale Park is surrounded by Victorian architectural gems like the James Reeves House across the street.

Although it is built on a relatively small lot, this Victorian villa is surrounded by tall Ontario basswood and Siberian elms.

According to Cabbagetown’s website, “The Italianate style, also known as the Tuscan or Bracketed style, revisited the architecture of the Italian Renaissance in America during the 1840s. Historians consider this style to be a form of the Neo-Renaissance as well as a member of the picturesque movement.   For Canada, this movement gained momentum around the same time as confederation.  All across the country homes were being built in reflection of this Italianesque form.  Toronto, specifically, has many preserved locations of Italianate architecture.  One example of this can be found at 397 Carlton Street, Toronto (James Reeves House)”

Tall rectangular windows on the ground floor, narrow arched windows on the upper floor, decorative cast iron fence, a large porch and balcony are signature flairs of the Italianate style, pioneered by English architect, John Nash.

397 Carlton Street, Toronto