Malvern West
Malvern Primitive Methodist Cemetery
1795 Markhan Road
*Private property. Please observe from the sidewalk only. This heritage designated cemetery dates back to the 1860s, when a church was constructed on the site to serve the early crossroad community of Malvern. The church was demolished in 1975, and this small graveyard is now one of the few remaining sites of the old Malvern village. Some of those buried here include some of the initial European settlers in Malvern, including the Badgerow, Burton, Ormerod, Pearson, and Robbins families.
Scott Westney House and Major Abbas Ali Park
180 McLevin Avenue
This charming stone house was originally built 130 years ago on Sheppard Avenue East, and moved to this location in 1990. Named after its previous owners, the Westney and Scott families, this historic building has been repurposed to meet the needs of the community. Today it houses the West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre's program Targeting Women in Skills Training (TWIST), which assists young women in finding employment through job experience and training. In 2010, the park was renamed in honour of local community worker, Major Muhammad Abbas Ali (a major in the Pakistan Army), who fundraised for many national and international charities. He moved to Scarborough in 1989 and founded the nearby Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto in 1993. During his lifetime, he walked over 10,000 kilometres in charitable marathon walks for UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Children in Need and many more.
Dr. Marion Hilliard Senior Public School
280 Washburn Way
This school is named after Dr. Marion Hilliard, who was the Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women's College Hospital (WCH) from 1947 to 1956. One of the first woman gynecologists in Canada, she and others helped develop a simplified procedure for detecting the early symptoms of cancer. She was also a key proponent of in the successful drive to get WCH accredited as a University of Toronto Medical School teaching hospital in 1956. She was also a notable published author, writing many columns in 'Chatelaine Magazine' on topics considered taboo at the time, as well as two books.
Malvern Town Centre
31 Tapscott Road
Built in the late 1980s, this mall also operates as a popular community hub. Malvern Town Centre is a plain brick structure, but the grand glass entranceway and central atrium makes this mall stand out. The entrance extends outward with one central peaked glass column. Three arches in the parking lot are placed adjacent to the entrance. For a fun tropical feel, enjoy the mall's many large palm trees. The businesses are largely independent and locally owned and the mall is host to many community services.
TAIBU Community Health Centre
27 Tapscott Road
TAIBU Community Health Centre is a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, community-led organization founded in 2008 by the Black Health Alliance. It is the only community health centre in Canada that gives special attention to health issues specific to people of African descent. They offer health services, and a number of social, educational and recreation programs for all ages. The word TAIBU is a Kiswahili (Swahili) word that means, 'be in good health'. The roots of TAIBU's specialized healthcare services can be traced back many decades to the work of Lillie Johnson. Johnson, born in Jamaica in 1922, became Ontario's first Black Director of Public Health in the Leeds-Grenville and Lanark district. In 1981, Johnson founded the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario. She was a strong advocate for universal screening for sickle cell disease. As a result of her work and advocacy, the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario and TAIBU, working in partnership with Scarborough Hospital, established specialized primary care services for adults with sickle cell disease at this site. Johnson has received many honours for her important work, including the Order of Ontario in 2011.
Ross Iadjiev Artbox
Southwest Corner of Neilson Road and McLevin Avenue
The artist's signature style lives in the swirling of line and colour. Mirroring life, the swirls represent the state of flux that life exists as. A beautiful mess of movement and energy. Represented by the circles in the middle, are people, all linked together through infinite ties.
Neilson Park
1555 Neilson Road
This 9.6-hectare park has three ball diamonds, a gazebo and picnic area, splash pad, playground, outdoor volleyball court, and even a skateboard area.
Neilson House Community Recreation Centre
1575 Neilson Road
This heritage designated building was originally constructed in the 1860s. It is an excellent example of a two-storey fieldstone houses from that era, with ripped limestone lintels, window frames, and quoins and an original slate roof. It was restored in 1998 and put into use as a community centre.
James Stirling House
100 Dunsfold Drive
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage designated house dates back to 1860, when it was constructed as a farmhouse. Some of its significant architectural features include a unique black and white stonework pattern with chiselled lintels and cornerstones. In 1977, it became the very first building to be granted heritage designation in Scarborough under the Ontario Heritage Act, which had recently passed in 1975. Previous to this, there was no legislation in Ontario that protected against the demolition of historic buildings.
Horseley Hill Park
145 Horseley Hill Drive
A 2.7 hectare park near Neilsen Road and Finch Avenue East that features a ball diamond, a soccer field, a splash pad and a children's playground.
Tom Longboat Junior Public School
37 Crow Trail
This unassuming junior public school opened in 1978 and is named after Tom Longboat, an Onondaga world-class long distance runner. Hailing from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, he gained prominence in the 1900s when he won the 1907 Boston Marathon in a record time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 24 seconds. Tom Longboat battled significant anti-Indigenous rhetoric and discrimination throughout his career; however, he continued to win races and set records into the 1910s.
Explore Malvern West
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.
We want to hear from you! Click here to complete a short survey
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
Malvern originally formed in 1856 as a farming hamlet and today is a lively and diverse suburban community, largely the result of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation taking over the farmlands to build a community of affordable homes in 1972. With a boom in immigration to the area in the 1980s, Malvern is a community that continues to welcome newcomers to Canada. This stroll in the western part of the area features several relics of Malvern's past, fantastic public art, schools named after famous Canadian women and Indigenous people.
- Malvern Primitive Methodist Cemetery
1795 Markhan Road
*Private property. Please observe from the sidewalk only. This heritage designated cemetery dates back to the 1860s, when a church was constructed on the site to serve the early crossroad community of Malvern. The church was demolished in 1975, and this small graveyard is now one of the few remaining sites of the old Malvern village. Some of those buried here include some of the initial European settlers in Malvern, including the Badgerow, Burton, Ormerod, Pearson, and Robbins families.
- Scott Westney House and Major Abbas Ali Park
180 McLevin Avenue
This charming stone house was originally built 130 years ago on Sheppard Avenue East, and moved to this location in 1990. Named after its previous owners, the Westney and Scott families, this historic building has been repurposed to meet the needs of the community. Today it houses the West Scarborough Neighbourhood Community Centre's program Targeting Women in Skills Training (TWIST), which assists young women in finding employment through job experience and training. In 2010, the park was renamed in honour of local community worker, Major Muhammad Abbas Ali (a major in the Pakistan Army), who fundraised for many national and international charities. He moved to Scarborough in 1989 and founded the nearby Muslim Welfare Centre of Toronto in 1993. During his lifetime, he walked over 10,000 kilometres in charitable marathon walks for UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Children in Need and many more.
- Dr. Marion Hilliard Senior Public School
280 Washburn Way
This school is named after Dr. Marion Hilliard, who was the Head of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Women's College Hospital (WCH) from 1947 to 1956. One of the first woman gynecologists in Canada, she and others helped develop a simplified procedure for detecting the early symptoms of cancer. She was also a key proponent of in the successful drive to get WCH accredited as a University of Toronto Medical School teaching hospital in 1956. She was also a notable published author, writing many columns in 'Chatelaine Magazine' on topics considered taboo at the time, as well as two books.
- Malvern Town Centre
31 Tapscott Road
Built in the late 1980s, this mall also operates as a popular community hub. Malvern Town Centre is a plain brick structure, but the grand glass entranceway and central atrium makes this mall stand out. The entrance extends outward with one central peaked glass column. Three arches in the parking lot are placed adjacent to the entrance. For a fun tropical feel, enjoy the mall's many large palm trees. The businesses are largely independent and locally owned and the mall is host to many community services.
- TAIBU Community Health Centre
27 Tapscott Road
TAIBU Community Health Centre is a multidisciplinary, not-for-profit, community-led organization founded in 2008 by the Black Health Alliance. It is the only community health centre in Canada that gives special attention to health issues specific to people of African descent. They offer health services, and a number of social, educational and recreation programs for all ages. The word TAIBU is a Kiswahili (Swahili) word that means, 'be in good health'. The roots of TAIBU's specialized healthcare services can be traced back many decades to the work of Lillie Johnson. Johnson, born in Jamaica in 1922, became Ontario's first Black Director of Public Health in the Leeds-Grenville and Lanark district. In 1981, Johnson founded the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario. She was a strong advocate for universal screening for sickle cell disease. As a result of her work and advocacy, the Sickle Cell Association of Ontario and TAIBU, working in partnership with Scarborough Hospital, established specialized primary care services for adults with sickle cell disease at this site. Johnson has received many honours for her important work, including the Order of Ontario in 2011.
- Ross Iadjiev Artbox
Southwest Corner of Neilson Road and McLevin Avenue
The artist's signature style lives in the swirling of line and colour. Mirroring life, the swirls represent the state of flux that life exists as. A beautiful mess of movement and energy. Represented by the circles in the middle, are people, all linked together through infinite ties.
- Neilson Park
1555 Neilson Road
This 9.6-hectare park has three ball diamonds, a gazebo and picnic area, splash pad, playground, outdoor volleyball court, and even a skateboard area.
- Neilson House Community Recreation Centre
1575 Neilson Road
This heritage designated building was originally constructed in the 1860s. It is an excellent example of a two-storey fieldstone houses from that era, with ripped limestone lintels, window frames, and quoins and an original slate roof. It was restored in 1998 and put into use as a community centre.
- James Stirling House
100 Dunsfold Drive
*Private property. Please observe from the street only. This heritage designated house dates back to 1860, when it was constructed as a farmhouse. Some of its significant architectural features include a unique black and white stonework pattern with chiselled lintels and cornerstones. In 1977, it became the very first building to be granted heritage designation in Scarborough under the Ontario Heritage Act, which had recently passed in 1975. Previous to this, there was no legislation in Ontario that protected against the demolition of historic buildings.
- Horseley Hill Park
145 Horseley Hill Drive
A 2.7 hectare park near Neilsen Road and Finch Avenue East that features a ball diamond, a soccer field, a splash pad and a children's playground.
- Tom Longboat Junior Public School
37 Crow Trail
This unassuming junior public school opened in 1978 and is named after Tom Longboat, an Onondaga world-class long distance runner. Hailing from the Six Nations Reserve near Brantford, Ontario, he gained prominence in the 1900s when he won the 1907 Boston Marathon in a record time of 2 hours 24 minutes and 24 seconds. Tom Longboat battled significant anti-Indigenous rhetoric and discrimination throughout his career; however, he continued to win races and set records into the 1910s.
Accessibility information: All points of interest are visible from the sidewalk. Most of this stroll takes place on streets and paved paths. However, there may be some unpaved paths and uneven surfaces in Neilson Park and Horseley Hill Park. There may also be additional barriers, including but not limited to stairs, steep inclines, and narrow passageways, along or at other destinations.
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.