OUR VICTORY (WARTIME) HOUSING HERITAGE
McDonald Boulevard & Mason Boulevard, Acton
In a step meant to meet the growing demand for affordable housing, for both defence-related industry workers and returning veterans, the Federal Government jumped into the world of residential development for the first time in the 1940s and Victory Homes were born.
Constructed of prefabricated components (walls and roofs), the homes mimicked the mass production of the war effort. In all, over 30,000 homes were built across Canada under the direction of the Wartime Housing Corporation, later to become Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) in 1947. Most homes were one storey, with steep pitched roofs and small sash windows.
Although some homes had brick exteriors, the majority had clapboard wooden siding. Both centre and side-hall plans were available. The homes typically had an eat-in kitchen, living room, one bathroom and two bedrooms downstairs, with room to expand upstairs into the attic if required. Victory Homes were designed to be comfortable and large enough for a single family. Most often, the homes were built on large lots on winding streets and cul de sacs. Their unique and recognizable designs, have become “classics” in the Canadian urban landscape.
Construction on 50 homes for war veterans in Acton began in 1947. Two streets were laid out in the subdivision which became known as the Wartime Housing. McDonald Blvd. and Mason Blvd. are the two streets that comprise the subdivision of wartime or victory housing known today as Warren Grove. They were named after two former Reeves of Acton, Amos Mason, Reeve from 1925-1931 and first Mayor of Acton in 1950; and J. M. McDonald, Reeve from 1942-1945.
The homes were sold for $4,500 each with the official opening of the subdivision in December 1948. In 1953, the Wartime Housing subdivision was renamed Warren Grove by the Acton Town Council. John Warren had owned this property many years before and the spot had a fine grove of beech and maple trees. This grove of trees was the preferred spot for Methodist Camp Meetings many years ago.
McDonald and Mason Boulevards are two of the four streets built in Halton Hills with Victory homes. The earliest street was Normandy Boulevard in Georgetown, completed in 1947. Churchill Boulevard in Georgetown was completed in 1948. As a result of the shared experiences of the veterans, close tight-knit communities developed on all four streets. Children felt that they were part of one huge, extended family and even today have a special connection to these streets and the memories they provide.
In 1993, a Warren Grove Reunion was held in celebration of its 45th anniversary, with over 500 people in attendance. The streets of Victory Housing in Halton Hills remind us again of the profound impact of World War II on our social history, and mark a new role for the federal government in providing well designed and constructed homes for Canadian families. The national housing legacy and charming war time homes endure to this day.
