The Elms, Toronto
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The Elms, or Old Rexdale, is that area south of Thistletown and north of Highway 401 (Ontario) in Toronto, Canada. It is bordered mainly by the Humber River to the east and Islington Avenue to the west.
The housing development of the original section of Rexdale, built in the early 1950's, is named for developer Rex Heslop and his wife Della. These are single storey and storey and a half Bungalows, bordered by streets Allenby Avenue, Burrard Road and Hadrian Drive, east of the new Wal-Mart store, formerly the site of Rexdale Plaza. Many of the residents of this neighbourhood, were employed Avro Canada.
Heslop went on building houses west of Islington Avenue, around Clearbrooke Circle as well as an industrial section of Rexdale west of Kipling Avenue, before going to Georgetown, where he established the Delrex neighbourhood.
Residents of Rexdale did their shopping mostly in Weston, until Rexdale Plaza was built in 1957. At the same time, the Semi-detached houses were built along Allenby and Burrard, followed by the construction of Bungalows north of Hadrian between Burrard and Elmlea School.
Much of this area was dotted with American Elm trees, the namesake of The Elms golf course, who's links were still being played as late as 1957 when Rexdale was growing around it.
