Falcon Inn

Residential/commercial site.

Details of Site Location: The north side of Kingston Road just east of the village of Highland Creek and the shopping plaza.

Boundary History: The property consisted of 11 acres.

Current Use of Property: A preserve for designated heritage trees.

Historical Description: The property was part of the McGinn farm, out of which Charles and Alice Acland purchased 11 acres. They had arrived from England with their son Eric in 1911 and purchased the portion of the property containing the McGinn farmhouse in 1914. The Aclands hired John Morrish and his son Edgar to remodel the house and convert it into a Tudor home resembling the one left in Cheshire, England, which was the birthplace of Alice Acland. The Aclands lavished much money on the house and filled it with important antiques, including pieces that had belonged to the British aristocracy. They moved in and named their home “Deep Dene.” Charles Acland was forced to retire because of ill health and the family found it difficult to keep up the house. The decision was made to convert the house into a hotel, which they named the Falcon Inn. It was an immediate success and its fame spread as a location of elegance and gracious living. Two wings were built and furnished with more antiques. A sunken rose garden and two acres of gardens surrounded the wooden hotel, and leaded glass windows brought even more colour into the interior. The Falcon attracted many social events among the Toronto region’s upper crust. Then disaster struck when sparks from a fireplace ignited the roof in September 1943. Scarborough’s firefighting system was totally inadequate and the firemen arrived too late to save anything. But the community rallied and carried out of the burning building almost all of the valuable antiques, including a grand piano and the leaded glass windows. Lieutenant-Colonel Eric Acland, by now the owner of the hotel, expressed his gratitude to the local community but filed a major complaint that led to an official inquiry by the Ontario Fire Marshal. The result was a dramatic improvement in Scarborough’s firefighting services and the replacement of antique equipment. West Hill and Highland Creek formed their own volunteer fire department in 1946.

Relative Importance: No other hotel in the area matched the beauty and elegance of the Falcon, and its loss caused the Highland Creek community to slip into a lesser role in Scarborough’s history. Many other local buildings had been lost to fire, but the action taken by Eric Acland brought about desperately needed change.

Planning Implications: The site has been recognized in the designation of heritage trees by the former city of Scarborough. A plaque should mark the site of the hotel as a lost focal point in Highland Creek and the passing of the age of elegance.

Reference Sources and Acknowledgements: Mr. and Mrs. John R. Spilsbury (publications and files).