Tag Archives: casa loma
South Hill
South Hill is an area of Toronto, located north of downtown covering the area west of Avenue Road, south of St. Clair Avenue, east of Spadina Road, and north of the Canadian Pacific railway tracks. The area is dominated by the steep hill of the former Lake Iroquois shoreline. The Nordheimer Ravine also cuts through the area, which is surrounded by Winston Churchill Park, this park covers the northwestern portion of South Hill.
South Hill may not have the same name recognition as a Rosedale or a Forest Hill, but it is every bit as glamorous and exclusive as these other elite Toronto neighbourhoods. South Hill is centrally located near Toronto’s business and entertainment districts, and is also conveniently located near many of Toronto’s highly regarded public and private schools.
South Hill contains some of the largest houses in Toronto. Many of the homes on the crest of the Avenue Road hill command spectacular views of downtown Toronto, and even offer a distant glimpse of Lake Ontario.
South Hill
The first generation of South Hill homes were built between 1890 and 1920. South Hill also contains a number of townhouses that have been built within the last twenty years. In addition to houses South Hill also possesses luxury rental apartment buildings on both sides of Avenue Road, on the crest of the hill, overlooking the city to the south.
The first settlers of York, Upper Canada divided the area that would become South Hill into concession in 1793. One large section of the area went to Peter Russell and Russell Hill Road continues to run through the centre of the neighbourhood.
In the late nineteenth century the area became home to some of the wealthiest citizens of Toronto. They built a series of manors along the top of the hill. These included Senator John Macdonald’s Oaklands, the Eaton family’s Ardwold, Samuel Nordheimer’s Glenedyth, James Austin’s Spadina, William McMaster’s Rathnelly, and most prominently Henry Pellatt’s Casa Loma.
The area was annexed to the city of Toronto in a series of sections beginning in 1905. It has remained an expensive residential, though most of the manors have today either been demolished or converted to other uses.
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416−388−1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
—————————————————————————————————–
Incoming search terms
Casa Loma
The striking silhouette of Casa Loma provides a romantic backdrop to this posh Toronto neighbourhood. Nestled on the brow of the Avenue Road Hill, and surrounded by ravines and parkland, this residential enclave looks and feels more like an enchanted forest filled with storybook homes, than the big city neighbourhood it really is.
A neighbourhood pocket bordered by the Annex to the south and Forest Hill to the north, Casa Loma has a high population of baby boomers and seniors. A majority of the neighbourhood’s immigrants moved to the area prior to 1980, and most of these are English speaking, of European descent.
Casa Loma’s large Tudor, Georgian, Edwardian, and English Cottage style homes were built mostly between 1905 and 1940. The houses on the south side of Lyndhurst Court enjoy a spectacular view of Toronto’s skyline and Lake Ontario. Many homes in this neighbourhood back onto the Nordheimer ravine, a forest of mature oak and maple trees.
Casa Loma
In addition to single family houses, the Casa Loma neighbourhood contains a mix of duplex and triplex houses, luxury townhouses, condos and co-op apartment buildings. The image of a castle atop the Avenue Road Hill, surrounded by ravines, large old trees, joggers and BMWs is an eclectic mix, considering the neighbourhood is located close to downtown Toronto.
The prominence of the castle led to a huge boom in the area, with many wealthy residents setting up shop and defining the present neighbourhood. The sightlines and majestic beauty of the Avenue Road Hill have, over the years, inspired many of Toronto’s wealthiest citizens to build their homes here.
The natural beauty afforded by the escarpment, which was forested until development began in the early 1900s, made it a popular location for a diverse range of mansions along Spadina which date from approximately 1890 to 1920. Most of Casa Loma’s homes were built between 1905 and 1940, and the housing stock includes a mix of large Tudor, Georgian, Edwardian, and English Cottage style homes, as well as some recent luxury condo high rises along Avenue Road and townhomes on Spadina.
Austin Terrace, Warren Road, Popular Plains and Russell Hill – all streets to emerge when the lands attached to the castle were subdivided – display some of the most impressive homes in the city. Long, winding drives shield some homes from prying eyes; pristine landscaping is common. The views from the southern end of the neighbourhood make it a perfect place for strolling.
Casa Loma
The one home that stands out above all the others is Casa Loma, a real life medieval castle. Casa Loma was built in 1911, by Sir William Henry Mill Pellatt, a prominent financier, industrialist, and military man.
It took three hundred men nearly three years to build Casa Loma, at a cost of $3,500,000, which at that time was an unprecedented amount of money to pay for a home. Sir Henry enjoyed his dream home for less than ten years before mounting debts forced him to turn Casa Loma over to the City of Toronto.
In the 1920′s, shortly after Sir Henry’s departure from Casa Loma, the extensive grounds and greenhouses to the north of the castle were subdivided, and the current neighbourhood began.
Despite the relatively insulated feel of the neighbourhood, motorists have easy access into downtown via Bathurst, Spadina, Avenue Road, and Yonge Street; the latter two streets are fast routes to the 401. The community is served by six elementary schools, three public high schools, three private schools, and a public library. De La Salle College is nearby on Avenue Road, one of the George Brown College campuses is located right at Davenport, and St Michael’s College is around the corner at Bathurst & St. Clair.
Casa Loma Real Estate
Locals do much of their daily shopping at the stores near that busy intersection, with gourmet dining and boutique shopping available in Forest Hill Village (Spadina Road, north of St. Clair), at Davenport & Avenue Road, or in the Bloor–Yorkville shopping district. Dupont Street, forming Casa Loma’s southern boundary, has great shopping and dining from Christie Street (Loblaws, Blockbuster Video) to Avenue Road, with everything from Shoppers Drug Mart, the Beer Store and the LCBO to holistic health clinics, a raw food restaurant, a world class patisserie (Frangipani), People’s for burgers, and specialty shops and services catering to pets, families, and busy professionals.
The community is bisected by the Beltline Trail in the Nordheimer Ravine, a virtual forest of mature oak and maple trees which links from Casa Loma to the foot of the Allen Expressway and then back again to the Mount Pleasant Cemetery. Some of the houses on the south side of Lyndhurst Court enjoy a spectacular view of Toronto’s skyline and Lake Ontario. The community’s largest park is the attractive Sir Winston Churchill Park at Spadina and St. Clair, which boasts with ten tennis courts, a playground, long running track and wooded scrublands, and a connection to the Beltline Trail. Culturally, the neighbourhood is enriched by such bastions as the Tarragon Theatre, which has premiered live theatre for nearly 40 years.
Residents enjoy such neighbourhood hot spots as the Corner House Restaurant, a continental spot on Davenport just east of Spadina that makes “most romantic” lists every year. Scaramouche is set on the side of the hill with a great view to the south, and has been a popular fine dining spot for Forest Hill and Rosedale residents for over 20 years.
Those with a penchant for architecture and history will appreciate the close proximity to Spadina House, Casa Loma’s older, more humble cousin; the first house to grace this area, it was built in 1866 for financier James Austen and improved throughout the Edwardian era. Today it is a city-owned museum and a treasure trove of Victorian, Arts and Crafts and even deco styles. Outside, the Spadina Museum is a beautifully constructed house sitting on a six-acre south lawn, which borders an elaborate vegetable garden, apple orchard and grape arbor, and runs right up to the edge of the Davenport escarpment (it is accessed from the street by an extremely long outdoor staircase). These calming, pretty grounds are often rented for wedding photos. Inside, there is a gift shop selling handmade products in quaint old fashioned packaging, with guided tours of the house being conducted regularly as well as special seasonal festivities. The museum itself is off-limits for parties due to the many precious artifacts, but the un-restored rooms are available to rent and can be catered for gatherings.
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Contact the Jeffrey Team for more information – 416−388−1960
Laurin & Natalie Jeffrey are Toronto Realtors with Century 21 Regal Realty.
They did not write these articles, they just reproduce them here for people
who are interested in Toronto real estate. They do not work for any builders.
—————————————————————————————————–
Incoming search terms
Condo Redevelopments Give New Life to Old Buildings
by Laryssa Stolarskyj
Are you caught in a quandary choosing the ideal condo because you’re enthralled by historic buildings but aspire to owning new? Two Toronto-based developments – The Benvenuto and Madison Avenue Lofts - combine the finest in historic and modern.
Mitchell Abrahams, president of Malen Capital, said the renovation of The Benvenuto at St. Clair and Avenue Road made for an ideal conversion project. The heritage-protected building was originally constructed in the 1950s as luxury apartments. The generous suite sizes, convenient location, views, and amenities made it “the perfect candidate to be renovated; it has the cachet of being the best luxury address in town,” says Abrahams.
The Benvenuto is an important site historically. The original Benvenuto mansion dates back over 150 years, when the builder of the Annex, Simeon James, constructed it to overlook his sprawling new neighbourhood. Its ravine marked the shore of Lake Iroquois (now Lake Ontario), and William Lyon Mackenzie lived in it before it was demolished in the 1950s. Peter Dickinson, architect of the current building, brought an innovative clean-line approach to the city and “left a mark on Toronto in terms of modernist architecture,” says Abrahams, with features such as balconies and banded windows that let in more light than standard windows.
The Benvenuto was built with no structural walls, only columns, so Malen was free to move walls around to create seamless suites. The ability to add big, modern bathrooms and closets gives residents “the best of heritage architecture and space planning to make sure that each suite in the building is redesigned with the best layout,” explains Abrahams.
Madison Avenue Lofts near Casa Loma, now under renovation by Burnac Group, is another conversion: it was a Toronto Hydro warehouse from the 1950s until the late-1990s.
Tony Barry, vice-president of development, explains that Burnac wasn’t looking to renovate an existing structure. But when the building – which also had the advantage of a superb location – came on the market, Barry was convinced that the company had to acquire it. He says when he first walked into it, he felt its atmosphere was akin to that of an ancient European cathedral. “It was a magnificent structure and we were able to retain that structure.”
Barry explains that although it would have likely cost less to demolish the building and start anew, there were particular features, for instance the high ceilings (which are 12 to 14 feet), that warranted modernizing it into livable, useable space. He notes, “the building is solid, lending itself to a loft product. It was crying out to be renovated; it’s unique.” Barry additionally cites the columns as another feature that adds substance, allowing Burnac to offer a one-of-a-kind condominium.
The process of conversion, however, is significantly more difficult than building new. Malen redeveloped throughout existing occupancy, so details were planned with tremendous coordination to ensure that residents were impacted as little as possible. Abrahams says this meticulousness is worthwhile “only in a building that merits the effort.”
Barry explains that there are more unknowns with a 50-year-old building than with a brand new one, including the major obstacle of not being able to get to know it until actually being in it. Adding parking is another hurdle for Burnac. The original building had no underground parking and adding a new garage beneath the existing structure would be too expensive, if not impossible. Fortunately, the area adjacent to the building can accommodate underground parking, and the top of the garage will host a landscaped courtyard and new wing. Other obstacles that will increase time and cost factors include removing the cladding to add soaring windows that will let in lots of light, creating a new art deco-inspired exterior, and working slowly to preserve the mature trees that border the site.
But the advantages are numerous. Conversions protect buildings with architectural heritage, of which there are few in Toronto. And residents can live in a place with history and enjoy top-quality location and views that simply wouldn’t exist in a new construction in a midtown neighbourhood.
Although conversions offer distinctive features and advantages that new buildings lack, they’re not likely to become the norm. Legislation makes conversions difficult, so only top buildings and locations even make the short list. But Abrahams says it provides an opportunity to reposition luxury buildings and give them “new life in a loft with fantastic locations that are irreplaceable.” Barry concurs, noting “there are fewer and fewer buildings that lend themselves to it in the right locations, but where opportunities present themselves, we’ll carry on taking them.”
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