Residence, later a hospital.

Details of Site Location: The northwest corner of Wellesley and Sherbourne.

Boundary History: The property was originally a lot of 50 acres, out of which the house occupied as much as three acres.

Current Use of Property: St. Michael’s Hospital, Wellesley site, occupies more than the original house site.

Historical Description: William Allan gave the northern half of Park Lot 5 to his son, George William Allan, as a wedding gift, in 1846. At the time, the property was heavily wooded. George William built his house from 1846 to 1847 on the design by Henry Bowyer Lane in Gothic Revival style. The house, named Home Wood, was of red brick, with stone trim, elaborate bargeboards, delicate tracery, and stained glass windows. The gate lodge guarding the winding lane to the house was at Carlton Street. George William lived in the house with his wife, Louisa Robinson, until 1852, when she died of tuberculosis. When William Allan senior died the next year, George William moved into his father’s house, Moss Park. The following year, Allan remarried, and his father in law, the Reverend Thomas Schrieber, rented Home Wood. George William (1822–1901) was a lawyer, mayor of Toronto in 1855, and Speaker of the Senate from 1888 to 1891. In 1855, Allan began dividing the Home Wood estate, opening four new streets. The house and remaining acreage were sold to Benjamin Homer Dixon, Canadian Consul to the Netherlands in 1863. From 1897 to 1900, the house was vacant and was then sold to Frederick Nicholls, founder of Canadian General Electric. After Nicholls died in 1909, Dr. Herbert Bruce bought the house, where he opened the private 72 bed Wellesley Hospital in 1912. In 1863 the name of the house had been contracted to Homewood. In 1964, the house was demolished to make way for expansion of Wellesley Hospital.

Relative Importance: The house and its succession of owners became steadily more important. Dr. Bruce was Lieutenant Governor of Ontario from 1932 to 1937.

Planning Implications: A major plaque on the grounds of the hospital, or on what succeeds it after it has been closed, is more than called for. The plaque should include information on how the area developed as a result of the house and its owners.

Reference Sources: Wellesley Hospital Archives; William Dendy, Lost Toronto (1993).

Acknowledgements: Cabbagetown Preservation Association.