The Little House

Built in 1912 by then well-known contractor Arthur Weeden, the Little House is just that, a little house. In fact, it’s the smallest house in all of Toronto and, probably, a much larger area. A simple house comes with a simple story: One day, Weeden noticed the tiny open lot on Day Avenue that was tucked between two existing houses and decided to build on it.

Born in England, Weeden migrated to Canada in 1902, a full decade before he built the little house. For a time, he worked as the superintendent of the old Lighthouse Mission and later became known as one of the pioneer builders in this area of Toronto. Day Avenue, in fact, is still home to many of Weeden’s other projects.

After he finished building the house, which is on a lot that was originally intended to serve as a small thruway for cars between these two existing houses, Weeden lived in it for twenty years with his wife. When she passed away, Weeden continued to live in the house for six more years. In 2007, the most recent owners renovated the entire space in an attempt to make it as useful and enjoyable as possible. Since, it has received considerable media attention and spurred features focused on tiny houses in several magazines.