Mid-Century Magic On Sorauren In Parkdale

57 Sorauren is absolutely surrounded with hip amenities, only a 5-minute walk from Queen Street West, providing loads of local choice for wining, dining and shopping. How about an evening out to sample some libations? The Parkdale Drink is just up the road from your front door. Fancy a bite of something sweet (or perhaps something savoury)? Stop by your local patisserie – The Tempered Room. For superb Farm to Table dining, visit Local Kitchen and Wine Bar, a mere stroll away. Or home cooks will appreciate their pasta classes, so that they can recreate meals in their own kitchen.

Slept in? Not to worry. Mitzi’s Cafe serves all-day brunch and is only a couple of minute’s walk away, also located on Sorauren Ave.

Head to Roncesvalles or Queen West to run your errands, with a Shoppers Drug Mart and LCBO within walking distance. You can’t beat the organic butcher, baker, florist and vegetable monger on Roncesvalles Avenue too, as well as the Revue Cinema for your movie nights, or Boomerang Pilates and Wellness for your fitness regime!

No urban lifestyle is truly complete without quality available green space in your ‘hood. 57 Sorauren is less than a 10-minute walk from Sorauren Park, where there is endless leisure and outdoor opportunity. There is the Farmer’s Market, fieldhouse, playground, great off-leash park for your family pet and ice rink for outdoor exercise in the winter. Just west is expansive High Park, opened to the public in 1876 and having nearly 400 acres of space, of which one third remains in a natural state, with a rare oak savannah ecology. It features the bucolic Grenadier Pond, numerous picnic areas, hiking trails, an off-leash park for your puppy, tennis courts, baseball diamonds and soccer fields plus the Jamie Bell Adventure Playground, which is a large, unique play area designed in part by children. This is the destination of choice for Spring Cherry Blossoms, or tobogganing in winter with the kids!

Also about a 10-minute walk away is the Parkdale Branch of the Toronto Library, where there is in addition to an impressive book and media collection, lots of programs for the whole family. Another must-have amenity? Access to public transit is a hop skip and a jump away on Queen Street West 501 Streetcar.

To really position your property purchase as an investment that will continue to grow over time, it is important to be close to good schools. Adding even more value? Having good schools within walking distance, which simplifies life for everyone. Nearby to 57 Sorauren is Parkdale Jr and Sr Public School, which welcomes students all the way from JK through to Grade 8. Parkdale Public is reputed as the “jewel of the south” because of the way it integrates its programming with  the community. There is onsite child care for before and after school. Parkdale Collegiate is the local high school, also within walking distance.

This home isn’t just about location, but is equally about opportunity. Built in 1962, this spacious 4 bedroom yellow brick semi-detached residence on Sorauren three blocks north of Queen Street West is being offered for sale by its original owner. Yup, fifty-five years ago the Seller and her husband bought 57 Sorauren Avenue from the builder prior to completion, after walking through the construction site at night with the aid of a flashlight! They were on their way home after touring properties in the Davenport Village neighbourhood, when they noticed a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window. Excited, they couldn’t wait until the next day to see what the property had to offer, so they embarked on a clandestine investigation, buying it the very next day. Ever since, this family homestead has been contently rooted in place for three generations.

Well-proportioned and well-loved, this mid-century residence features three levels of living space. In fact, having unusually high ceilings in the lower level, 4-piece washrooms on the both the main and upper levels, and an intelligent space plan, this dwelling is well-suited for reinvention into a contemporary property with an income supplement. While the extent of changes or retrofit would require planning approvals, this dwelling offers the visionary Buyer the opportunity to create a single family residence with lower level inlaw suite, a duplex, or three self-contained units with modest changes.

On the main level, an open concept entertainment space features original wood floors, great proportions and a walk-out to a west-facing balcony. The kitchen has a breakfast area – though I could see it being reconfigured into a galley kitchen with French doors connecting this level to a deck with stairs to the garden. The third room – with an ensuite bath – once served as a formal dining room, though it offers utility as a bedroom. In fact, by adding a door on the top of the entry landing, this floor could instantly become a self-contained one bedroom suite.

The second level has four bedrooms – each with woods floors and closets – and a four-piece washroom. Ideal for a large family as configured, this floor could alternatively have a kitchen installed in the rear bedroom, easily converting it into a two bedroom suite. I envision the rear bedroom also having French doors installed connecting to a Juliette balcony or deck to elevate the natural light and garden views.

On the lower level, a broad hall could easily have a wall of floor-to-ceiling closets installed to maximize storage opportunities. There’s a workshop and utility room which connects to the rear garden, a 2-piece washroom, and a generous recreation room. With ceiling heights of 7’11”, it meets the minimum required height to legally convert this into a lower level suite. Note the self-contained garage could be converted into additional living space too, if maximizing a return on investment is your priority, although it would also increase your renovation costs.

Having a one car garage with private drive accommodating three cars in tandem, a generous 22 ft x 130 ft landscaped lot attentively tended by the owners, and three levels of living space, the house is in good shape, although some building component upgrading is necessary. The presale home inspection – available on request – indicates 57 Sorauren imminently require a new roof, brickwork repairs, and window replacement. The wiring and plumbing is in good shape, and the furnace and central air are 14 and 11 years respectively.

Built to last, extremely functional, and unadorned to reflect the fashion of its day, this is one of my own personal favourite kinds of property. In fact, I’m transforming its sister in Riverdale into a modern cube! If you’re looking to elevate a property like this into your own architectural wonder – including adding a third floor to create a sensational multi-unit income property with owner’s suite – you can read about my experiences and the knowledge I’ve gleaned thus far in my post called ‘Navigating the Committee of Adjustment‘.

Offering the trifecta of a Triple AAA location, the solidity of concrete and solid brick 55 year new construction, and unlimited potential, this vintage mid-century dwelling is a great opportunity worth consideration!

Have questions? Contact Steve@urbaneer.com!