In praise of older semis

The Bubulj family. Mitch on the left with his dad and brother.
Mitch on the left with his dad and brother.

It all began with the semi. Lest we forget from whence we came, Leaside was first and foremost a factory town. And just one year into its incorporated young life, Leaside got its first housing – factory housing – and these domiciles were simple and they were semis. During the housing boom of the ’30s and ’40s, more semis were built from Randolph to Glenvale using higher end materials with touches of Tudor and Georgian styling, but still offering sensible affordable alternatives. In fact, Leaside in its early days had a range of housing options – bungalows, semi-bungalows, detached two-storey houses, walk-up apartments and flats above the shops on Millwood, Eglinton and Bayview – that allowed for a diverse socio-economic population.

In 1913 Canada Wire and Cable intended to build 100 worker homes; in the end 68 were built, all still standing. With the exception of four detached homes, they were double dwellings built of red brick – 239/241 Airdrie in the same bright red brick used to build the factory on Wicksteed – with front covered porches and little in the way of embellishment. They were good solid proletarian homes made available to the workers for $12 a month to rent, $2,500 to buy. At the time workers earned $18 a week. The scheme fitted nicely with the Garden City movement which inspired the man who laid out Leaside: Frederick Gage Todd. Factories would co-exist with homes, shops and parkland. A nice altruistic company move, maybe, but it was also great for productivity since workers were rarely late for work.

Hundreds of semis were built in South and North Leaside. Hugh Walker built both two-storey and bungalow semis in the late ’30s on Randolph, Sutherland, Airdrie, Rumsey, Parkhurst and Baird (now Crofton). His two-storey properties are distinctive; the bathroom windows are octagonal and leaded. I call them stop sign windows. I was born and raised in one of his semis on Airdrie; incidentally my best friend Richard lived at 256 Airdrie, a Canada Wire and Cable house. I remember in 1972 his dad pulling down the large covered front porch and painting the brick brown (now white). We found a 1913 penny (as large as a toonie) among the debris. Walker became so successful he purchased land on Yonge Street in the Rosedale/Moore Park area and built Aeneas Court Apartments in 1941, incorporating the distinctive “stop sign” bathroom window into the three-storey complex.

Another prolific builder of semis was Arthur Slightham. His homes were slightly larger than the rest and featured six large principal rooms and panelled dining areas; brand new they sold for $4,750. They still stand proudly on Randolph, Sutherland, Broadway, Divadale and Donlea.

It was reported in a Toronto Star article from 1935 about semis being built in Leaside that “the dividing walls will be soundproof.” For the most part I recall that was true, but every now and then we heard some rousing shouting matches. Our neighbours were far too polite to comment on my two brothers and my practising on our musical instruments when in the Bessborough band – we had all chosen the trumpet.

The popularity of the Leaside semi has endured; new owners have enlarged and modified them in creative ways but they remain in situ. They are good news from a built heritage perspective since they are hard to tear down; you’d need to own both sides. Environmentally they make a lot of sense since you share heating costs with your neighbour on the other side of the adjoining wall. And they compel folks to be good neighbours.

About Mitch Bubulj 19 Articles
Mitch is a born and raised Leasider. He worked for many years in South East Asia but ended up back in South Leaside where he raised his family. A member of the North York Community Preservation Panel and a retired English and Social Science teacher, Mitch has a passion for neighbourhood, history and a good story.