Addison Gardens stands on part of the Holland estate.
Joseph Addison (1672-1719), poet, essayist and politician, lived at Holland House after his marriage to Lady Holland in 1716, hence the name.
In June 1849, Lord Holland took out a mortgage on Holland House and its grounds. This was the first of several such transactions over the next few years, likely done partly to raise funds for constructing roads and sewers on his property as he had pledged. That same month, Goddard started building houses in Addison Gardens and at the north ends of Addison Road and Holland Villas Road.
Goddard was able to lay the foundations for twelve houses and build one up to the second story before running into financial troubles. He eventually found it best to move himself and his family to mainland Europe. His creditors were hesitant to push for declaring bankruptcy, since there didn’t appear to be enough money left to even pay for the order.
In 1880, Addison Gardens absorbed Addison Gardens South.
