Located in distinguished mid-town Toronto, the Chaplin Estates Toronto neighbourhood began as a plan for a new subdivision on the outskirts of the city. The new subdivision was registered by William John Chaplin and his son James D. Chaplin in 1913. The developers intended for the neighbourhood to be marketed has a high class residential district, therefore many building restrictions and zoning bylaws were included in the sale of each lot. Some of these restrictions included, limited use of stucco exteriors and the prohibition of semi-detached houses.