East Willowdale
Mahjabeen Kabir Artbox
27 Kenneth Avenue
This eye-catching artbox was created by Mahjabeen Kabir in 2018.
Willowdale Park & Claude Watson School for the Arts
75 Hollywood Drive
Willowdale Park features a children's playground, splash pad, and gazebo. Paved walking trails extend from the park north and south through the neighbourhood. Looking across the street at Doris Avenue, you can see Claude Watson School for the Arts. The rebuild of the school won a 2007 Urban Design Award for the work by Kohn Shnier architects.
Lee Lifeson Art Park
45 Princess Avenue
Lee Lifeson Art Park is named after the two world famous Willowdale musicians, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of the rock band Rush. Geddy Lee was born in Willowdale and Alex Lifeson moved to Willowdale at the age of eight. Neil Peart joined the two childhood friends to form one of the most acclaimed rock trios. They have produced Gold and Platinum records and have received numerous awards including nine Juno Awards and seven Grammy nominations. In 1996, Rush was the first rock band to receive the Order of Canada. Lee Lifeson Art Park offers opportunities to enjoy arts and creative activities by featuring open air performance space, room for arts installations, arts markets and arts programming including festivals, events and workshops.
Public Studio with Anna Friz '120 Mirrors'
In Lee Lifeson Art Park - 45 Princess Avenue
One notable piece of public art inside Lee Lifeson Art Park is '120 Mirrors'. This sound-based installation consists of a series of horn-based sculptures that are intended to provoke thought about different aspects of human communication through amplifying landscape and voice.
Robin Hesse Artbox
Southeast Corner of Doris Street and Empress Avenue
The design aims to maintain the original character and charm of the adjacent fire station tower, with many of its most prominent design elements and colors featured and replicated in this intricate hand painted concept. The carved stone medallion with the motto 'Semper Paratus' has been included to honor the firefighters.
Aitak Sorahitalab Artbox
Southwest Corner of Empress Avenue and Willowdale Avenue
This design is reflected by the study of patterns and symbols in the art in Middle East from 1000 years ago, which you can see in architecture, rug patterns, on ceramic and pottery.
John McKenzie House
34 Parkview Avenue
Constructed in 1913, John McKenzie House was built on a plot of farmland purchased in 1884 by Philip McKenzie, an English immigrant trained as a carpenter. When Philip died, his son John took over the farm and specialized in Holstein cattle until the local farming economy began to deteriorate. In 1912, John submitted plans to have a subdivision built on the family farm, which stretched east from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue. Keeping a small portion, he built this home, as well as a stable, milk house, and coach house on the property. John McKenzie House was slated for demolition in 1992. The Ontario Historical Society stepped in to save and restore the buildings. The house is now their headquarters, and is open for visits by appointment. Adjacent to the home is the John McKenzie Parkette, where you can find artist Randy Berenicci's sculpture 'Empress Collonettes'.
Parkview Neighbourhood Gardens
44 Parkview Avenue
Parkview Neighbourhood Garden is a self-sufficient, volunteer-run community garden in the heart of Willowdale. The garden was first planted in 2008 by local residents.
Mitchell Field Park & Community Centre
89 Church Avenue
This 1.5-hectare park south of Finch Avenue and two blocks east of Yonge Street has an open space for leisure activities. Adjacent to the park is the Mitchell Field Community Centre. Mitchell Field is a multi-use facility. It has an indoor arena and outdoor swimming pool. There is a full-size gym with bleachers. A teaching kitchen and three multipurpose rooms round out the facilities.
Willowdale United Church
349 Kenneth Avenue
This heritage-designated church dates back to 1954, but its history as an institution dates back far longer. Jacob Cummer constructed a log meeting house known as 'Cummer's Chapel' on his property nearby, which was then replaced by a large, yellow, stucco church on land donated by him at the corner of what is now Yonge Street and Church Avenue in 1856. That building closed in 1951, and was replaced by the current structure on Kenneth Avenue to meet the needs of a growing congregation. Today the church - officially known as Willowdale Emmanuel United Church - serves the local community by offering services in both English and Korean every Sunday.
Parkview Park
355 Parkview Avenue
A small park near Bayview Avenue north of Sheppard Avenue East that features a children's playground and an open green space.
Explore East Willowdale
Now is the time for residents to experience all that tourists have been raving about for years. Discover shops, stops, places and spaces on city main streets. Stay curious, Toronto.
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Don't Miss
Explore FREE Public Art Across the City. Toronto's Year of Public Art 2021-2022 is a year-long celebration of Toronto's exceptional public art collection and the creative community behind it.
We hope that you enjoyed exploring this Toronto neighbourhood and found many other points of interest along the way. While StrollTO highlights some of the 'hidden gems' in the neighbourhood, there may be others that could be included in a future edition. Would you like to share a point of interest that you discovered in the neighbourhood? Email us at [email protected].
Neighbourhood Stroll
This largely suburban neighbourhood lies in the shadows of the many towers that have popped up in central North York. The stroll features a fantastic public art park that pays tribute to rock band Rush - the neighbourhood's most famous sons - and some heritage-designated buildings that highlight the area's rich history.
- Mahjabeen Kabir Artbox
27 Kenneth Avenue
This eye-catching artbox was created by Mahjabeen Kabir in 2018.
- Willowdale Park & Claude Watson School for the Arts
75 Hollywood Drive
Willowdale Park features a children's playground, splash pad, and gazebo. Paved walking trails extend from the park north and south through the neighbourhood. Looking across the street at Doris Avenue, you can see Claude Watson School for the Arts. The rebuild of the school won a 2007 Urban Design Award for the work by Kohn Shnier architects.
- Lee Lifeson Art Park
45 Princess Avenue
Lee Lifeson Art Park is named after the two world famous Willowdale musicians, Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson of the rock band Rush. Geddy Lee was born in Willowdale and Alex Lifeson moved to Willowdale at the age of eight. Neil Peart joined the two childhood friends to form one of the most acclaimed rock trios. They have produced Gold and Platinum records and have received numerous awards including nine Juno Awards and seven Grammy nominations. In 1996, Rush was the first rock band to receive the Order of Canada. Lee Lifeson Art Park offers opportunities to enjoy arts and creative activities by featuring open air performance space, room for arts installations, arts markets and arts programming including festivals, events and workshops.
- Public Studio with Anna Friz '120 Mirrors'
In Lee Lifeson Art Park - 45 Princess Avenue
One notable piece of public art inside Lee Lifeson Art Park is '120 Mirrors'. This sound-based installation consists of a series of horn-based sculptures that are intended to provoke thought about different aspects of human communication through amplifying landscape and voice.
- Robin Hesse Artbox
Southeast Corner of Doris Street and Empress Avenue
The design aims to maintain the original character and charm of the adjacent fire station tower, with many of its most prominent design elements and colors featured and replicated in this intricate hand painted concept. The carved stone medallion with the motto 'Semper Paratus' has been included to honor the firefighters.
- Aitak Sorahitalab Artbox
Southwest Corner of Empress Avenue and Willowdale Avenue
This design is reflected by the study of patterns and symbols in the art in Middle East from 1000 years ago, which you can see in architecture, rug patterns, on ceramic and pottery.
- John McKenzie House
34 Parkview Avenue
Constructed in 1913, John McKenzie House was built on a plot of farmland purchased in 1884 by Philip McKenzie, an English immigrant trained as a carpenter. When Philip died, his son John took over the farm and specialized in Holstein cattle until the local farming economy began to deteriorate. In 1912, John submitted plans to have a subdivision built on the family farm, which stretched east from Yonge Street to Bayview Avenue. Keeping a small portion, he built this home, as well as a stable, milk house, and coach house on the property. John McKenzie House was slated for demolition in 1992. The Ontario Historical Society stepped in to save and restore the buildings. The house is now their headquarters, and is open for visits by appointment. Adjacent to the home is the John McKenzie Parkette, where you can find artist Randy Berenicci's sculpture 'Empress Collonettes'.
- Parkview Neighbourhood Gardens
44 Parkview Avenue
Parkview Neighbourhood Garden is a self-sufficient, volunteer-run community garden in the heart of Willowdale. The garden was first planted in 2008 by local residents.
- Mitchell Field Park & Community Centre
89 Church Avenue
This 1.5-hectare park south of Finch Avenue and two blocks east of Yonge Street has an open space for leisure activities. Adjacent to the park is the Mitchell Field Community Centre. Mitchell Field is a multi-use facility. It has an indoor arena and outdoor swimming pool. There is a full-size gym with bleachers. A teaching kitchen and three multipurpose rooms round out the facilities.
- Willowdale United Church
349 Kenneth Avenue
This heritage-designated church dates back to 1954, but its history as an institution dates back far longer. Jacob Cummer constructed a log meeting house known as 'Cummer's Chapel' on his property nearby, which was then replaced by a large, yellow, stucco church on land donated by him at the corner of what is now Yonge Street and Church Avenue in 1856. That building closed in 1951, and was replaced by the current structure on Kenneth Avenue to meet the needs of a growing congregation. Today the church - officially known as Willowdale Emmanuel United Church - serves the local community by offering services in both English and Korean every Sunday.
- Parkview Park
355 Parkview Avenue
A small park near Bayview Avenue north of Sheppard Avenue East that features a children's playground and an open green space.
Accessibility information: Most of the points of interest on this stroll are viewable from the street or paved park path. Parkview Park does not have any paved paths, and amenities require traversing grassy areas to access.
The StrollTO itineraries may follow routes that do not receive winter maintenance. Please review winter safety tips and for more information contact 311.
Soundtracks of the City
From global superstars to local favourites and ones to watch, the Soundtracks of the City playlists all feature artists who have called Toronto home. Whether it’s a lyric about the neighborhood, an artist representing a cultural community, or a tie-in to the StrollTO itinerary itself, all the music reflects connections to an individual ward or the City as a whole.
Music was chosen based on an artist’s Spotify presence and each song’s broad appeal, as well as its associations with the cultures, languages and ethnicities that reflect Toronto’s neighborhoods and diverse music scene. Soundtracks of the City combines 425 songs that feature more than 500 different local artists or acts, showcasing songs in 23 different languages.