HISTORY
Armour Heights was originally settled in the 1830's by John Armour after whom
this neighbourhood is named. The Armour homestead was situated where Armour Heights
Community Centre is located today.
The Armour family
sold their farm in 1911 to Colonel F.B. Robins, who planned the Armour Heights
neighbourhood. Robins envisioned Armour Heights as a high-class address with its
own polo field and bridle path. The polo field was never built however the bridle
path has become today's Yonge Boulevard.
When the first
World War broke out Colonel Robins put his subdivision on hold and instead donated
land in Armour Heights to the air force as a training school for American and
Canadian pilots. American Aviatrix hero Amelia Earhardt was a regular visitor
to the airfield during the latter part of the war when she was stationed in Toronto
as a nurses aid with the Canadian Red Cross.
The Armour Heights
subdivision was beginning to gather steam when in 1929 Robins and fellow developer
W.P. Mulock sold all their interest in Armour Heights to R. J. Lillico & Associates.
This sale was described in local papers at the time as one of the largest real
estate transactions ever in Toronto.
The new owners
attempted to change the name of this subdivision to Beverley Hills but it is the
original Armour Heights name that has stood the test of time.
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