Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Canada Ontario Toronto Cube House

Cube House

This unusual structure may be on its way to becoming a cultural landmark in Toronto.

Toronto, Ontario

Added By
bandersen
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Cube House, Toronto   bandersen / Atlas Obscura User
Cube house   JulsMaya / Atlas Obscura User
  markbulla / Atlas Obscura User
Wider shot of the Cube House   bandersen / Atlas Obscura User
  puzzles / Atlas Obscura User
The Cube House in 2020   Cooth / Atlas Obscura User
  mdove11 / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

This Place Is a Stub

Help improve this place with additional information or photos.

Make an Edit

About

This unusual structure is well known to motorists who drive past it going to and from the Don Valley Parkway in Toronto. The project was built by architect Ben Kutner and his partner Jeff Brown in 1996. It has been occupied as a private residence and used as a billboard at various stages of its existence.

The Cube House design was inspired by similar cube homes built in Rotterdam and Helmond in the 1970s. Piet Blom was the architect of those original structures. He thought of them as  "trees" with living space branching out from a trunk-like base. Groups of such homes became "forests". 

Cube House has been at the centre of legal wrangles about land ownership and the eventual fate of the building is uncertain. Kutner and Brown built the single structure with the hopes of incorporating it into a larger residential community they called "unitri." However, they did not own the land they built on and the actual landowner did not agree with their plan. In the end, the landowner was deemed to be the legal owner of the building, rather than Kutner and Brown.

In 2016, the land was put on the market and is expected to be bought by a developer. If that happens, the structure will likely be torn down to make way for a larger residential building. Though you'll find it on the side of an elevated highway, it's close to the popular Corktown district and newly developed neighbourhood, the Canary District (which had been the location of the athlete's village for the 2015 Pan Am Games). 

Related Tags

Architecture Houses Homes

Community Contributors

Added By

bandersen

Edited By

puzzles, markbulla, JulsMaya, xuxor...

  • puzzles
  • markbulla
  • JulsMaya
  • xuxor
  • mdove11
  • Cooth
  • anaalvesfer

Published

October 8, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/toronto-s-cube-homes-have-been-sold-and-the-new-owners-just-want-the-land/article_389251df-9b52-552d-8ea5-620d1edd144d.html
  • http://canadiandesignresource.ca/architecture/billboard-house/
  • http://www.hgtv.ca/photos/photo/?gid=478e5b4e11892675a17b5a63d6f29d8e&pid=580dc676896402323b741641c8218a51
  • https://www.google.ca/maps/@43.6545182,-79.3575389,3a,90y,341.53h,110.47t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sMYx3KoeLvrEGZ6mEze-Dmg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1
  • http://15miles.info/toronto-cube-houses/
Cube House
104 Eastern Ave
Toronto, Ontario
Canada
43.65458, -79.356883
Get Directions

Nearby Places

First Toronto Post Office

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Gooderham Building

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Berczy Park Dog Fountain

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 51
Stories 6

Nearby Places

First Toronto Post Office

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Gooderham Building

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Berczy Park Dog Fountain

Toronto, Ontario

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Toronto

Toronto

Ontario

Places 51
Stories 6

Related Stories and Lists

8 Geometrical Wonders That Are Also Houses

List

By Jonathan Carey

Related Places

  • This house was transported piece-by-piece from the Huizhou region of China.

    Salem, Massachusetts

    Yin Yu Tang: A Chinese Home

    A rare 16-bedroom Qing Dynasty house re-erected on the campus of the Peabody Essex Museum. 

  • Alatskivi Castle

    Alatskivi, Estonia

    Alatskivi Castle

    A wealthy aristocratic family built this Disney-worthy, fairy-tale castle.

  • 9904 Colesville Road (Polychrome II)

    Silver Spring, Maryland

    Polychrome Historic District

    These five Art Deco homes were meant to solve the "small house problem."

  • Stone Mansion

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Stone Mansion

    Originally dubbed "Retirement" by the Navy Commodore who built it in 1780, this beautiful mansion is now the centerpiece of a suburban community park.

  • Roxbury, New York

    John Burroughs Woodchuck Lodge

    The Catskills retreat of naturalist writer John Burroughs.

  • Olander Banks Sr. and Margaret Lomax Banks Community Park

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Olander Banks Sr. and Margaret Lomax Banks Community Park

    Home to a 27 room house, this estate was crafted by Black entrepreneur Olander Banks Sr.

  • Lahey Lost Valley House

    Vienna, Virginia

    Lahey Lost Valley House

    A small brick parlor house and artist's studio located in the wilderness is surrounded by imposing suburban palaces.

  • Lamond House

    Alexandria, Virginia

    Lamond House

    Hidden in the forest atop a long, winding driveway is this stately home.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.