Honest Ed's To Meghan Markle, Toronto’s Annex Neighbourhood Had It All

Toronto neighbourhoods often distinguish themselves through the people and buildings that inhabit them. Toronto's Annex is no exception.

In this episode of Then&Now, Toronto Historian Morgan Cameron Ross explores the storied history of a neighbourhood that was annexed by the city in the late 1800s, and since its development around this time, "has always been quite prosperous," explains Ross.

The city's Annex neighbourhood, located in the northern part of the city's downtown region with Bloor St. composing its southern boundary, is an area whose "main legacy revolves around its architecture," says Ross. "The homes in the Annex neighbourhood are legendary."

While a number of buildings have become fixtures of the area since the neighbourhood's inception, including the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema or Lee's Palace, other notable spots have disappeared, including the iconic Honest Ed's on the southwest corner of Bloor St. West and Bathurst St.

But iconic buildings are not the only recognizable mentions when it comes to the Annex, as the area has also been home to "notable past and present residents" says Ross, including "Margaret Atwood, Timothy Eaton, Rachel McAdams, and even Meghan Markle."