Let’s peak inside the house of Dr. Joseph Fleming

by TED DEWELLES, Leaside Heritage Preservation Society

Leaside has had more than its share of interesting and unique homes. Maybe you know some of them:

• The famous Octagon House of John Lea, after whom Leaside was named.

• “Divadale,” the long-gone mansion of James Flanagan in north Leaside.

• The Hydro Substation house on Malcolm Road.

• The old Leaside jailhouse on Markham (now Stickney) Avenue, and

• Several “lottery houses” given away in ticket-draws in the late 1930s and 1940s.

Lesser known are the residences of many practising physicians. These were “purpose-built” homes often with dedicated entrances, rooms and facilities for patients – in addition to featuring living quarters for the doctors and their families.

One example is the home of Dr. Joseph Pliny Fleming (1905-1976) at 49 McRae Dr. at the southwest corner of McRae and Bessborough.

Dr. Fleming’s house as it appears today.

Dr. Fleming served as Leaside’s Medical Officer of Health (MOH) in the late 1930s and 1940s – in addition to having his own private practice in the community.

He received his medical degree from the University of Toronto and was licensed to practise medicine in 1930. By 1936, he was living in Leaside at 3 Donegall Dr., and by 1940 he had purchased the house on McRae, which had just been built