Real Estate Guide › Central

Annex

Average 2007 sale price:

$2,219,000

Property crime:

high

Crime against people:

average

Neighbourhood map:

See map

With major-league bookstores (BMV, Book City, Seekers) and the main U of T campus just steps away, it should come as no surprise that this area is home to Margaret Atwood and innumerable other academics, writers and media personalities. Having fought off death by expressway in the early 1970s, the Annex has become a lefty version of Rosedale. Its appeal is both convenience and architecture. The area is close to downtown, but doesn’t feel like it, and the comforting houses, most of which were built between 1880 and 1910, are remarkably homogenous. E. J. Lennox, the architect of Old City Hall, built one of his most enduring homes at 37 Madison Avenue, and the architectural vocabulary he used in that house—red brick, rough-faced stone, deep archways—is found everywhere in the Annex. Frat houses and 1950s mid-rises line St. George Street, a few condos have infiltrated Avenue Road and Bloor (notably One Bedford), and some houses have been divided into suites, but for the most part it’s a neighbourhood of single-family homes, none of them cheap. Homes east of Bedford and on major streets, such as Madison, Lowther and Admiral Road, go for $1.5 million to $3 million. A two-and-a-half-storey “handyman’s dream” with four bedrooms recently listed at $700,000.

HOUSING STOCK: A few dwellings arrived as late as the 1930s, but most of the area’s iconic piles of rough stone and red brick date from the Edwardian era and exhibit the characteristic mix of flamboyance and respectability. The majority of these are three-storey semis that average 3,000 to 5,000 square feet, with enough fancy flourishes—terra cotta detailing, elaborate window surrounds—to make them seem even more grand.

BARGAIN ZONES: The so-called West Annex (west of Bathurst) is generally a little cheaper than the east, and very popular with families. The houses may not be so spectacular, but the tree-lined streets, Palmerston Public School and Vermont Square Park are big draws. A good-sized two-storey home can still be had for $550,000 to $650,000 (although that’s without parking or a decent yard).

THE VERDICT: Parking can be difficult (many houses don’t have driveways) and the heritage aesthetic can weigh a little heavy, but it’s the perfect inner-city neighbourhood—calm and collected, yet close to the bustle of Bloor Street, the university, museums and shopping. It’s really Rosedale, without the swank and swagger, and it’s increasingly attracting the same posh crowd.

NEIGHBOURHOOD HOT SPOTS:
Bloor Cinema The last of the big downtown cinemas shows second-run films and rep favourites the way they were meant to be seen, on the big screen. There’s even a balcony that’s perfect for necking. 506 Bloor St. W., 416-516-2331.
Book City The largest and most satisfying of Book City’s outlets has the perfect combination of library-quality selection and magazine-counter freshness. 501 Bloor St. W., 416-961-4496.
Future’s Bakery & Café What Future’s Bakery lacks in culinary prowess it makes up for with its streetside patio. 483 Bloor St. W., 416-922-5875.