225 Merton Street

Following the success of the Conservatory Group’s first development in the area, The Rio, they teamed up with Heather Downs Developments in order to build the Rio II Condos at 225 Merton, which brought even more luxury residences to the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood. In fact, the Rio development has been such a success that it warranted a third iteration — The Rio IV Condos.

Completed in 2002, the developers consulted the local community and the municipal government to ensure the condo served the best interests of both prospective residents and the neighbourhood at large. As a result, 225 Merton proves to be an attractive fixture in the area, whether one lives inside the building or not.

Designed by the Toronto-based E.I. Richmond Architects, the building structure consists of a 12-storey tower placed atop a stout, 5-storey podium. This aesthetic might be considered postmodern — a refined mix of many styles.

The postmodern style starts with the Rio II Condos’ concrete exterior, featuring understated yet modern sculptural details. This concrete offers the perfect canvas for the contemporary, gleaming, glass-walled balconies and triple framed windows. Finally, these different styles come together so well thanks to E.I. Richmond Architect’s inspired application of classical proportions to the building.

In addition to its architecture’s sophisticated aesthetics and proportions, the Rio II Condos attracts many prospective residents since it contains a remarkable collection of amenities. This includes an exercise room along with a sauna and a whirlpool, a party room, with its own kitchen, a versatile meeting room, a billiards room, a common patio equipped to barbecue and set inside a lush courtyard garden, and finally, a 24-hour concierge service staffing the chic lobby.

At 225 Merton, there are 124 suites, ranging in size from approximately 400 to 1,400 square feet. This includes one-, two-, and three-bedroom layouts which all feel quite comfortable, especially since most living spaces extend onto either a private patio, a terrace, or balcony. That’s right, some suites generously boast access to multiple outdoor spaces.

Inside, the suites feature intelligently designed floor plans, maximizing the way natural light is able to flow through the generously-sized windows that fill the suites. This gives 225 Merton’s homes a bright and fresh atmosphere. Even though many of the Rio II Condos’ former residents have customized their suites over the years, all Toronto condos for sale here remain warm and welcoming to the core.

225 Merton is the closest of the Rio Condos to Mount Pleasant Road — granted all are within a single city block. Nonetheless, residents often enjoy Davisville’s eclectic commercial scene along Mount Pleasant, as well as the grassy fields of June Rowlands Park, which contains a baseball diamond, tennis and basketball courts, and a picnic area.

There are many unique offerings on Mount Pleasant, highlighted by the Granite Brewery. At the corner of Eglinton and Mount Pleasant, Nova Scotian Kevin Keefe opened the Granite Brewery in 1991, offering some of the first craft beers in Toronto. Today his daughter, Mary Beth Keefe, is the brew master — their selections may be even better. Residents may find themselves here often, with a different rotation of tasty brews every season.

Even without a car, residents can get around the city with ease. The TTC’s Davisville Station sits on Yonge Street, just steps north of Merton Street. After a ten-minute walk from the Rio II Condos, travelers can catch trains from Davisville that are heading north and south through the city on the Yonge-University-Spadina line.

For those who prefer to drive, residents have their choice of different fast-paced midtown roadways on which to venture throughout the city. Drivers will become quite familiar with Bayview Avenue, though: this is the next major street east of the building after Mount Pleasant, and leads south to the closet highway, the Don Valley Parkway — often in just under ten minutes.