Places · Vaughan, Ontario
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Woodbridge’s brick arches: the houses that still smell like home
Woodbridge’s repeated brick arches belong to the archvilla style, associated locally with Italian immigrant home building from roughly 1968 to 1982. They stir memories of grandparents and family pride, alongside arguments about appearance and upkeep. The style also appears in other communities and is not exclusive to Vaughan.
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A porch with a powerful memory
Some buildings require a plaque to explain their significance. A Woodbridge brick arch can apparently do it with the smell of espresso. One person remembering grandparents’ homes wrote that even the exterior brought back the cooking decades later. A fairly impressive achievement for masonry.
The repeated curves over porches and entrances have a name: the archvilla. Once you know it, a familiar suburban detail becomes easier to notice. What looks like a decorative choice also carries a story about families building a home, making it their own and leaving something their children remember.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
The family history in the brickwork
Local history project Retrospective Vaughan dates the style’s local prominence roughly to 1968–1982 and connects it with Italian immigrant home building. Examples vary in height and form, so the repeated arch is a better clue than one standard floor plan.
Folklorist Luisa Del Giudice’s 1993 research examined Italian Canadian archvillas as expressions of identity, family and home. That adds depth to a detail people may have driven past for years. These were choices made for living, not exhibits waiting for someone to invent a walking tour.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Source: HRAF: Luisa Del Giudice’s 1993 archvilla study, public abstract
Not every family member is a fan
A contributor who grew up in Downsview described relatives helping build the neighbourhood and the style moving north. Then they admitted they did not particularly like it. Family history does not oblige you to approve every design decision. Even the beloved family sofa occasionally deserves a second opinion.
Others remembered grandparents’ houses with uncomplicated affection. One described a father’s brick business; another said the buildings made them miss their childhood home. Accounts from Portuguese families and places including Hamilton, Stoney Creek and Scarborough widened the picture beyond Vaughan and beyond one community.
The arches are not exclusive to this city, and the facade is not a reliable guide to who lives behind it now. The shared detail has travelled through different lives.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Then someone has to replace the window
Affection met a practical objection from someone discussing window replacement: shaped openings can mean templates, extra work and more opportunity for mistakes. The curve may be charming right up to the moment it appears on a quotation.
That does not establish a fixed price premium. An arched brick opening can frame a rectangular window, and the actual construction matters. Owners considering work need an assessment of their own opening, rather than a universal rule about what every arch costs.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
A different way of seeing an ordinary street
The local history project’s online examples are a useful place to start. Look at how the curves repeat across a porch and how they change between a bungalow, a taller home and a commercial frontage. Occupied houses remain private homes; the architecture does not make the garden a public viewing platform.
You may come away liking the arches more, or simply understanding why somebody else does. For one contributor, the important part was much simpler: the buildings brought back a home they missed. The architectural vocabulary arrived later.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Questions people ask
What is an archvilla house?
The term describes buildings with repeated rounded arch features, often across a front porch or facade. Retrospective Vaughan uses those details to explain the local style.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Why are brick arches common in Woodbridge?
Retrospective Vaughan links the style with Italian immigrant home building in the late twentieth century, giving the familiar porches a history beyond their appearance.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Are archvilla houses unique to Vaughan?
No. Contributors have described similar arched facades in other Ontario communities, including Hamilton and Scarborough. The detail does not identify an occupant’s background.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
When were many archvilla houses built?
Retrospective Vaughan places the style roughly between 1968 and 1982, although an individual building’s construction date can differ.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Can archvilla details appear on commercial buildings?
Yes. Retrospective Vaughan includes a commercial building with repeated rounded arches, showing how the motif appeared beyond houses.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Who researched Italian Canadian archvilla houses?
Luisa Del Giudice published a study in 1993. HRAF provides its publication record and a public abstract discussing home, family space and the arch as an expression of identity.
Source: HRAF: Luisa Del Giudice’s 1993 archvilla study, public abstract
Are archvilla houses always single-storey?
The project includes a two-storey Woodbridge example as well as lower buildings. The repeated arch details are more useful for recognising the style than the number of floors alone.
Source: Retrospective Vaughan: The Archvilla
Why can arched replacement windows cost more?
A contributor described the extra work involved in templates and fitting a shaped opening. Costs depend on the actual window and job, so a property-specific quote is more useful than a universal multiplier.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Does an arched brick opening always need a curved window?
Some examples have rectangular windows behind the curved brickwork. For a replacement, inspect the actual opening rather than assuming the window follows the whole arch.
Source: Vaughan Reddit: archvilla houses, memories and corrections
Where can I see Vaughan archvilla examples online?
Retrospective Vaughan’s Archvilla page shows examples from several Vaughan communities, including a commercial building that uses repeated arches.
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