Douglas Kertland (1886-1982) was born in Toronto, but received his architectural training in England. He returned to Canada to work with the architect John Lyle, but by 1926 he had established his own practice in Toronto. Kertland's architectural work included office buildings, hospitals, banks and residential buildings. One of his most famous projects was the Automotive Building at the Canadian National Exhibition, for which he won a design competition.

The evidence of Kertland's records indicates that he was a very popular architect, chosen by many clients for building projects in the new residential areas that developed in the twenties and thirties. These included Forest Hill, Cedarvale, North Toronto, Moore Park and the Poplar Plains Road area, which is the location of this home on Russell Hill Road. Kertland's clients tended to favour house styles that, while spacious and modern in the interior, recalled Tudor or Georgian times on their exteriors. This house evokes the English Arts and Crafts style, with its steep roofline and rustic combination of stone and stucco. The tower is a picturesque irregularity designed by the architect to express the individuality of the owner.