A Smash Hit Trophy-In-The-Making On Tennis Crescent In Riverdale

***Love Love Tennis As Much As We Do? This Smash Hit Could Serve Your Partner & Net You A Golden Match + This Domestic Trophy!***

Every so often a Rubik’s Cube of a property comes available that excites us to no end. This is precisely the case with this 1961 purpose-built duplex in highly-coveted Riverdale, just steps from Broadview and Danforth.

Perched at the top of a gentle reverse ravine under a canopy of mature trees, this swell dwell marries its distilled mid-century modern form and function with the 1970s domestic quest for impressive family room acreage, bold-patterned country kitchens embellished in dusky orange, avocado green, and mustard yellow flower power, and the requisite Spanish Tudor wood-panelled rec room with rustic stucco, brick arch, and impressive wood-burning brick fireplace. Featuring all sorts of tan and brown shades popular during the ’70s, cleverly contrasted with yellow gingham and pale blue cornflower wallpaper, this one-owner Tennis Crescent residence is the ultimate blank canvas.

Want to create a multi-generational compound? Love! Seeking a single-family residence with optional income offset or private quarters for your moody teen? Love! Looking to create a multiplex under the City of Toronto’s new as-of-right bylaw allowing 4 units in former single-family neighbourhoods? Love! Craving to transform great space into a contemporary executive Forever Home? Yaaas! You Score!

Welcome to 8 Tennis Crescent in Riverdale!

Life Is Good In Family-Friendly Riverdale!

Doesn’t it feel good to live in the middle of it all? One of our favourite things about Toronto is its patchwork of eclectic neighbourhoods. Every community pocket, woven into the threads of the others surrounding it, has its own unique qualities that have evolved over time, creating the patina of character that makes each of them special and Toronto so vibrant. Surrounded by Playter Estates & Danforth Village to the north, Little India to the east, Leslieville, Chinatown East & Riverside to the south, and Corktown, Regent Park & Cabbagetown to the west, when you live here it feels like all points radiate from Riverdale!

This verdant village – affectionately coined the ‘Brooklyn of Toronto’  –  exploded in popularity when North Toronto Gen Xers discovered they could slip out of the Midtown status racket and slide into their own authentic version of domestic bliss. What’s refreshing about this trifecta of community, convenience & lifestyle is there is no pretense. It’s genuine Riverdale Realness!

In proximity to practically every amenity on homebuyers’ wish lists, this residence is just 4 doors from the panoramic city & sunset vistas of Riverdale Park East with its 70s Mod swimming pools, tennis courts, lacrosse & hockey rinks, running track & seriously the best tobogganing in the city + the 504 King & 505 Dundas streetcar lines + 3 blocks to coveted Withrow School + 5 blocks to Broadview Subway Station & over 350 purveyors, play dates & services on The Danforth! Coveted by families keen to put down roots in a caring community, this residence has a Walk Score of 89, a Bike Score of 89, and a Transit Score of 99 out of 100 meaning almost all errands can be accomplished on foot or by bike!

Most errands start at the grocer, and luckily Loblaws is just 4 minutes north on Broadview. On the Danforth, everything healthy & organic is available at Carrot Common at the top of the block, plus there’s a Shopper’s Drug Mart, LCBO, Pape Market (who deliver!), The Meat Department, De La Mer, Dough Bake Shop & Cob’s Bread – it’s the Tic Tac Toe of daily errands!

Looking to head out for dinner and/or drinks on the Danny? The Only Cafe is perfect for pints, and if you want to mix brews with gastronomic delights, try Noonan’s (also great for live music!), Sidebar, or The Auld! Enjoy awesome fish & chips at Off The Hook just up Broadview (they have a great gluten-free option too!), premium pizza at One Night Only, fab Italian dishes at 7 Numbers, and The Square Boy will fulfill your craving for a classic Greasy Spoon. We also love long lunches on the quiet back patio at community-favourite Allen’s!

Looking for more specialized fare? Chinatown East on Gerrard – just a 13-minute stroll south – is one of the best enclaves in the city for culinary creatives seeking fresh produce. If you’re not in the mood to cook, try the standout Dine and Dim with its stylin’ decor and, get this, one of the few dim sum restaurants in Toronto that still offers cart service! In the same block, some of the more recent additions to the street have earned my patronage like Soul Chocolate for those with a sweet tooth, Pop Music for lovers of vinyl records, and the Farside Bar for its cool vibes and tasty libations. And for us, Batifole reigns supreme in the City for French cuisine! Feel like switching it up? I love shopping for the vibrant fabrics and economical housewares sold in Little India on Gerrard East just east of Greenwood – about a 12-minute streetcar ride – where for over 30 years I’ve enjoyed the city’s best vegetarian samosas at MotiMahal Restaurant!

This location is excellent for those who embrace the outdoors, given it’s pretty much across the street from Riverdale Park East, a large green space spanning the Lower Don River. This park has recreational fields for soccer, baseball, and Ultimate Frisbee on both sides of the river. There is also a swimming pool, tennis courts, an outdoor hockey rink to the northeast, and a running track in the centre. Plus the best tobogganing in the City! There’s a naturalized area at the north end of the park, a bridge over to Cabbagetown’s Riverdale Farm, and links to the Don Valley and Lower Don Recreational Trail – plus Evergreen Brickworks – for cyclists. (We love getting around the City on two wheels – check out our enthusiasm for cycling here!) Just a 10-minute stroll east through Riverdale’s leafy streets, you’ll arrive at another one of the city’s best green spaces – Withrow Park – which sprawls for 8.5 hectares! (Plus local dog owners tell us they love the off-leash dog area!) How perfect would it be to unwind with your family after a particularly hectic day – or take advantage of the recreational offerings! – in either one of these lush green spaces!?

Tennis Crescent is also extremely accessible, with a 99 Transit Score! If your life is predominantly auto-free, the 504 King and 505 Dundas streetcars run up and down Broadview 24 hours a day, and you’re only a short stroll to the Broadview Subway station (literally, 6 minutes!). If your life requires an automobile commute, driving 3 minutes south on Broadview to Dundas will connect you north via the Don Valley on-ramp, and driving south to Parliament Street via Eastern Avenue will connect you to Lake Shore Boulevard East or West. Don’t have a car? There’s a ZipCar location five blocks away at 80 Danforth Avenue.

Looking to enroll your children in a great school? You’ll need to find a great catchment district like this one! Stroll to Withrow Junior Public School (with French Immersion) and Earl Grey Senior Public School for Grades 7-8 (focusing on athletics, academics, and leadership opportunities). For High School, there is Riverdale Collegiate Institute (as well as Holy Name Catholic High School).

We heart you, Riverdale!

A Swell Dwell On Tennis Crescent

This 2-storey mid-century modern residence of around 1600 square feet was constructed in 1961, with a near 400sf extension added at the rear in the early 1970s when concrete block foundations, double-coursings of bricks, and wood frame construction were used to build sensible, practical, and efficient dwellings during the post-WWII boom. Bursting with opportunity, either in its current use as a single or 2-family home, to accommodate a multigenerational household, for a contemporary reinvention into a Forever Home, or to take advantage of the City of Toronto’s new ‘as-of-right’ bylaw permitting multiplexes up to four units, this property offers around 2000 square feet of above-grade living space (with a further 940 square feet in the lower level plus the 260sf garage). And, with a generous 23 x 125-foot lot including a lush landscaped garden and a double-wide private drive that can accommodate at least three vehicles plus a one-car garage, this residence could be expanded with Committee of Adjustment approvals to be around 2875 square feet above grade!

What does this mean? It’s feasible one could add a third floor to create a duplicate 2-bed suite like the existing one on the second level of this property, or a 2-storey 1600 square foot residence on the second and third levels. While some people might convert the lower level into a self-contained unit, it would be more economical to make the Main and Lower Levels a generous 4-bed suite with a private garden which would be a fantastic family residence. And if you’re seeking a Forever Home, this could be nearly 4000 square foot space for your laughing barking brood! If this interests you, ring me at 416-845-9905 to discuss and I can explain this in more detail.

Well-manicured garden beds and hedges line the driveway, guiding you up the steps to the private entrance at the side of the dwelling. Upon entering the foyer, stairs descend to the lower level and ascend to the main and second floors. On the main floor, which can become a self-contained unit, you’re greeted by a sunny spacious living room with a charming view of the Edwardian ‘Broadview Mansions’. Tucked around the corner in the area that was once a fitted kitchen is a tiled study area. It’s a fantastic space for a work-from-home office. For those looking to return the house to two (or more) units, a new demising wall dividing the entrance from this living area easily creates a generous second bedroom on this level, with the current study being well-suited to an oversized walk-in closet.

Down the main hall, you’ll find a generous bedroom that can also be used as a formal dining room and an extra-large 4-piece family bath. Just beyond is the kitchen, which was relocated from its original location at the front of the dwelling into a former rear bedroom when the extension was built. We love this quintessentially 70s culinary workspace but recognize that future resident chefs will make it their own. Incidentally, when the Sellers added the extension they created a massive pantry off the family room. It’s so large it could become a private office! Rare to find is a fantastic family room with wood floors, elegant chair rail, and modern French doors that open onto the garden with its recently installed composite deck. This magical outdoor oasis is fully fenced and features a charming shed and multiple mature plantings.

Just as the main floor offers flexibility, the second floor can become a separate 2-bed suite or three private sleeping sanctuaries with minimal modifications. Like the first floor, the spacious living area is sun-drenched with its south-facing aspect, connecting to the original kitchen which remains, albeit with the sink removed and the plumbing capped. Down the hallway are two bedrooms – one of which has French doors opening onto the roof of the family room – ready for the deck of your choosing. The original washroom is now a 2-piece, but the plumbing and drains remain in the cavities so a shower can easily be installed once the toilet is rotated to face the sink.

On the lower level, a collection of spaces can be tailored to suit your particular lifestyle. The laundry room is well-situated whether it serves one household or more, while the large hall with built-in cupboards and direct access to the built-in garage could be lined with wardrobes on both sides to resolve all your storage needs. The built-in bar that connects to the expansive rec room with a wood-burning fireplace could be restored as an Ode to the 70s, or transformed with or without the garage to create a lower-level income offset or accommodations for your extended family. With this much space – something short of supply in many Riverdale homes – the possibilities are endless!

Well-situated, well-proportioned, and welcoming, this family-friendly residence is an ideal opportunity for those seeking customizable space (and a lot of it!) in a superb coveted neighbourhood.

Interested in booking a private tour of this dwelling? Contact Steven Fudge (steve@urbaneer.com) or James Ormston (james@urbaneer.com)! It would be our pleasure to assist you.