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14 | The Architectural Fashion of Toronto Residential Neighbourhoods
RASEK ARCHITECTS LTD

STRAWBERRY BOX

Strawberry box houses or Strawberry-box bungalow was a style of homes
built during World War II and into the 1950s to 1960s and found
throughout Canada. During World War II homes built known as Victory
Housing emerged in suburbs in several Canadian cities and towns, including
Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax to provide housing for workers in factories
supplying items for World War II. A small number of these houses were built
in 1943 in the Alderwood area of Etobicoke (west of Brown’s Line and south
of Woodbury Road) for workers at the Small Arms Company in Lakeview
(now Mississauga).
The typical style was either a detached bungalow or a two-storey semi-
detached. Depending on the locale, the facade may have been plain wood
or brick, with entrances at the front and sides.
The homes in Queensway Park are typical of those built for returning
soldiers: one-and-a-half storeys, steeply-pitched roofs, clapboard walls,
small sash windows, and small metal chimney stacks. Inside, the main floor
often had a living room, kitchen with dining area, bathroom and one
bedroom, while the upstairs had two more bedrooms. This architectural style
has been referred to as “Simplified Cape Cod” or “Strawberry Box.”

IDENTIFYING FEATURES

Individually the houses do not present a particularly high
architectural style. They are small (often lacking basements) and
constructed of cheap materials. Their uniqueness stems not from their
design but from the factors that contributed to their existence (the
war) and from the streetscapes they created. Most often they were
built on large lots on winding streets and cul de sacs.The style utilizes
a square or rectangular foundation and named due to the similarity
with boxes used to hold strawberries.