Home and farm.

Details of Site Location: Lot 13, Concession 3, where today’s Laird Drive and Lea Avenue meet.

Boundary History: East of Bayview Avenue, north of Millwood Road, South of Eglinton Avenue, and west of Leslie Street.

Current Use of Property: Mixed business and residential area of Leaside.

Historical Description: A true pioneer of early Toronto, John Lea Senior arrived from England via the U.S. in 1819. York at that time had fewer than 2,000 inhabitants, including children, fewer than 200 houses, and fewer than 2 dozen shops. Lea purchased 200 acres at a cost of 200 guineas on high ground east of Yonge Street (in present-day Leaside). The price was considered expensive at the time; however, part of the land had already been cleared and a log house was already on the property. Moreover, it was on high ground with good drainage, and there was a road over to Yonge Street, the only route into the town at the time. (This road, called William Street, ended where present-day Glebe Road meets Yonge.) Lea was then joined by his wife, Mary, and their 5-year-old son, William. He proceeded to buy cows and plant an orchard of Northern Spy apples, and grew vegetables for market. His family expanded to include another son, John Junior, and a daughter, Mary.

Ten years after he arrived, he was able to build a large brick house close to the original site of the log house. It is claimed locally that this was the first brick house in York Township. It was of two storeys and had the appearance of an English country home, with four chimneys. The double thickness and off-centre positioning of one chimney caused much speculation; it may have served two back-to-back fireplaces. No further details about the house survive. Lea lived there until his death at age 81 in the 1840s, and his younger son lived there afterward.

Relative Importance: The Lea family were true pioneers in the area in the early 1800s.

Planning Implications: The site of the original Lea house (in he vicinity of the corner of Laird drive and Lea Avenue) should have a plaque commemorating this family.

Reference Sources: J.J. Rempel, The Town of Leaside – A Brief History (East York Historical Society, 1982); The Golden Years of East York (Centennial College Press); Ann Guthrie, Don Valley Legacy, A Pioneer History; Inventory of Historical Buildings in East York, East York LACAC.

Acknowledgements: Maps Project; S. Walter Stewart Library.