A Stately Edwardian Duplex With Lower Level Suite, Steps To High Park

Something sublime emerges when you pair elegant living quarters with location and surroundings that enhance the overall sophistication of your quality of life. Your personal urban experience should be reflected not only in the walls that encircle you, but in the streetscapes that wind around your home, connecting you to a cherished community.

If you’re seeking domestic bliss with spirit and charm both inside and out, then this elegant Edwardian purpose-built duplex with lower level suite – just steps to desirable High Park & Bloor West Village – is most certainly worth your consideration!

Welcome to 91 Glendonwynne Road!

Hang Your Hat In High Park 

Life goes from good to great when you have choice and convenience at your doorstep. Excellent amenities, spread throughout a nurturing neighbourhood, can shape daily life into something incredible – and even elevate your lifestyle! Living at 91 Glendonwynne Road means having an address right in the middle of where you want to be.

Doing all of your necessary errands is a breeze in the High Park/Bloor West Village neighbourhood, with No Frills, Shoppers Drug Mart, Bulk Barn, Global Pet Foods, the Dollar Store (last-minute school project anyone?), and the LCBO all within walking distance. You can also bring fresh fare to your table any night of the week thanks to purveyors like Snappers Fish Market and Bloor Meat Market. Have a ‘special’ relationship with bread like we do? Get it warm and fresh – along with some delectable sweet treats – at Bake Sale and Hot Oven Bakery.

In the mood for some retail therapy? Like to shop locally? A short seven-minute walk lands you in vibrant Bloor West Village. Browse the storefronts, explore unique purveyors (including some of the community favourites mentioned above), and don’t forget to break for lunch at one of the many fab restaurants!

Heading out for dining, good coffee, or drinks with friends? We can recommend several great choices that are close by! Pop over to Zaza Espresso for espresso and gelato, or your neighbourhood pub – Dark Horse – for happy hour! Your go-to for breakfast is surely the Sunshine Village Grill, but for a heartier lunch or dinner, try authentic Irish fare (and whiskeys!) at Clover Leaf Café. We adore the Baka Gallery Café, where you can nosh on a sweet treat while taking in their latest local artwork for sale, or indulge in Spanish and Latin food with a North American twist at Bloom Restaurant? The choices are many!

Urban living means having great green space to access when the mood strikes, and this home is well-located to a number of Toronto’s best parks. Within 7 minutes from your doorstep you can be leisurely strolling into iconic High Park, one of the Toronto’s most bucolic amenities. Opened to the public in 1876, it boasts 400 acres of verdant landscape, of which one-third remains in a natural state – including a rare oak savannah ecology! It features the natural habitat of Grenadier Pond, numerous picnic areas with striking vistas, hearty hiking trails, an off-leash park for your puppy, and recreational and sports settings including 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, Shakespeare In The Park in the heat of summer, or tobogganing in winter (with, or without kids)! The Humber River for watersports and hiking trails are also close by, and for a fun outing with little ones, Ravina Gardens is a hop-skip-and-a-jump away with its splash pad and wading pool ideal for a summer afternoon outing.

Love to read like we do? Just down the road from 91 Glendonwynne at the corner of Bloor Street West – and a 4 minute walk from this exceptional property – is the Runnymede Branch of the Toronto Public Library. This charming library is a perfect rainy-day destination for the whole family, with a vast collection, multi-media, book discussion groups and more. Plus, on a personal note, is there anything more delightfully nostalgic than that paperback smell?! We may have given in to the Kindle craze, but now and then we love to spend time in our local libraries perusing the stacks!

One of the most coveted amenities for resale value is proximity to good schools; even if your family doesn’t currently require them, as it’s a value-added benefit to families with school-aged children. 91 Glendonwynne Road is well-located to several reputable schools! Just a five-minute walk is Runnymede Junior and Senior Public school, offering programming for JK to Grade 08. With historic roots in the community (it started out as a one-room schoolhouse over a century ago!) this school’s reputation for academic, athletic and arts excellence is well-known. They offer French Immersion here too. Just over a 10-minute walk away is Humber CI for high school. What a wonderful lifestyle – for parents and children alike – to be able to stroll to school for their entire educational career!

For those seeking private or alternative education, right here in the neighbourhood is the Humberside Montessori School. They offer programs at four levels. The first 3 levels encompass a three-year cycle. The journey begins in the Primary Level (Casa) for children 2 1/2 to 6 years of age. It then continues with the Lower Elementary level for children 6 to 9 years of age, and then eventually proceeds through the Upper Elementary level for children 9 to 12 years of age, to the 2-year Adolescent Program for children 12 to 14 years of age.

Another must for busy urbanites is quick and easy access to public transport. The Runnymede subway station is moments away – just a 6-minute walk! – as well as multiple bus routes accessible at Runnymede and Bloor Street West. Unsurprisingly, Glendonwynne Road boasts a Transit Score of 83!

It’s one thing to want to live your best life, but it is another altogether when you’ve got the opportunity to do it in real-time – while earning income on the side! Is 91 Glendonwynne Road the chance you’ve been waiting for?

An Edwardian Brick Beauty 

Two-Bed Garden Suite With Sunroom

Stepping into the foyer, you’re met with the stairs to the Upper Suite to the left, and the entrance to the Garden Suite directly ahead. Opening the door, you’re immediately greeted with a wash of sunlight – particularly in the afternoons! The sun-kissed living and dining rooms take on an almost ethereal quality during these hours, thanks to banks of south and west-facing windows.

By examining the qualities of this suite, you can find several clues that this well-built manse was constructed for the merchant class. First, its construction, both in terms of materials and execution were of a high standard. Second, the proportions of the principal rooms are beautifully scaled, complemented by the classically generous baseboards and trim and tall apertures – it’s pure Edwardian. Moreover, the character that has been preserved over the years truly gives this suite an elegant, pampered quality, including the beautiful French doors, and the visually-arresting stained glass windows that flank the brick fireplace. We also appreciate the juxtaposition of these vintage elements with more modern design upgrades, like the recessed lighting. Gorgeous hardwood floors run through the entertainment and sleeping spaces, accented in warm buttery tones that are brought out by the natural light.

The gracious living room connects through French doors to a substantial formal dining room featuring original warm wood floors and just the right amount of architectural embellishment. It serves up a generous portion of square footage too – big enough to gather your friends and family around a large table with room left over for that massive sideboard in your grandmother’s house that would swallow most condos whole! An open doorway connects the dining room to the kitchen, where a modern culinary workspace awaits to support any level of chef. It’s configured with an efficient design plan, boasting ample counter space and a wealth of cabinetry. Stainless steel appliances and stone countertops gleam in smart under cabinet lighting which can also be accessed from the front hall. Entertainers will love that they can continue to cook and remain a part of the conversation, while not showing of a host of dirty dishes to their guests. Additionally, the stone tile floor that runs from the front door into the kitchen makes spills a breeze to clean up, and you don’t have to worry about nicks and chips from dropped cookware. When you own a gem like this, conscientious care will have it standing for another hundred years!

Down a short hall, you’ll find the sleeping quarters, which include a newly renovated 4-piece washroom and convenient linen closet (one can never have enough storage!) The primary bedroom boasts two large closets and a view of the rear garden, while the second bedroom has been converted into a work-from-home office with a wall of built-ins. The connecting sun room, with patio door access to the rear deck, is also currently serving as a workspace, but both rooms can quickly and easily be returned to their original purpose. In today’s society, when we are all pivoting to survive unprecedented world changes, flexible space is highly valued!

For those who would place a tenant in this suite, the market rent is estimated to be around $3,350 per month plus hydro.

The best part? This sun-drenched suite has a twin right overhead, ready to embrace you with all of the same classic charm and modern conveniences!

Two-Bed + Den Upper Suite With Sunroom

Ascending the stairs to the left of the front foyer will lead you to the Upper Suite, which is almost identical to the Garden Suite in space plan, and just as well-appointed. For example, instead of having a front hall – as on the floor below – this suite benefits from the addition of a den off the living room. This extra room with a storage closet is a cozy but flexible space that can be outfitted to suit a variety of needs, whether that be a home office, craft room, reading room – anything you like!

Up here on the second level, the living room is large and bright, boasting clean lines and brought to life with a calming pastel palette. The bulk of the flooring throughout is wood-grain laminate with a complimentary grey tone. (This is our kind of floor – looks gorgeous, but is more durable, easier to clean, and has a long life span!) The flooring runs lengthwise down the suite drawing you into the adjacent oversized dining room and eventually the culinary hub of this home. 

The kitchen presents a slightly more modern aesthetic than the Garden Suite; the entry from the dining room is angled, the two-door fridge is larger, the style of cabinetry is slab rather than shaker, and the ceramic tiles are larger – with the sleek look of marble! Additionally, the shifted doorway creates the perfect space for a wall-mounted buffet in dining room, which is always appreciated when hosting large gatherings for dinner!

The sleeping quarters, washroom and sunroom are almost identical to the Garden Suite in layout – just without direct access to outdoor space. Both suites share a laundry room accessed from the foyer, outfitted with two washers and two dryers. Again, it’s striking how ‘house-sized’ this suite feels. If you’re ready to spread out and put down roots, this is the sophisticated suite to do it in!

For those who would place a tenant in this suite, the market rent is estimated to be around $3,200 per month plus hydro.

This suite – or the Garden Suite – would also work fantastically for multiple generations to cohabitate;  you can share the beautiful yard, share meals, share expenses, (and share child care!), but still enjoy privacy and the comfort of your own space. For those who try to create multiple units in one dwelling so that their extended family can collectively live together but have their own spaces, this history of such endeavours in Toronto’s been problematic and costly. (My post called The Pitfalls Of Permit Fees And Toronto Real Estate shares exactly how shockingly expensive it can be if you’re wanting to create a legal multi-unit dwelling.) That’s why this duplex – already boasting self-contained renovated units and in beautiful condition – is such a gem!!!

Even if you choose to live with family – or co-own with a friend – there is still great income potential coming from the lower level; it’s a one-bedroom urban oasis tucked underneath your feet. Boasting a similar renovation –  and with a private side entrance, it makes an excellent income suite!

One-Bed Lower Suite

A private side entrance – to the left of the property – leads you down to the lower level, which houses a communal laundry area, storage rooms, and a fully outfitted one-bedroom suite. Entering the suite, you realize that this is no dark “basement” dwelling. Illuminated by lovely recessed lighting, the wood-grain laminate floors bring you in to the bright contemporary kitchen –  spacious, with stone countertops, chic matte black hardware, and a breakfast bar! Form there, the suite expands into an open concept entertainment zone with above grade windows, modern fixtures and plenty of flexible space to tailor!

Completed by a bedroom and four-piece upgraded washroom, this renovated lower level suite is currently rented on lease for $1,400/month (inclusive) by a lovely respectful tenant.

The property also contains a two-car detached garage accessed from a private drive – a huge asset in a city like Toronto!! Most recently, the tenants of the Upper Suite and Garden Suite have each used one of its bays for storage.

When it comes to investing in Toronto real estate one of our favourite housing types is the multi-dwelling (or one that can become one). Why? Because the possibilities and potential for layout, lifestyle, and income-offsets are the greatest. A three unit building can even address housing needs that you may not even have considered yet along your tenure as a homeowner.  I call these homes “Accordion Dwellings” meaning that they can expand and contract with ease, depending on your need. And this masterpiece on Glendonwynne Road is the perfect example!

We’re proud to be the realtors of choice in offering this exemplary residence for sale!

If you have questions or would like a private tour, please contact the Urbaneer Team –> Steven Fudge,  Cynthia Rose or James Ormston!