Homes for Sale in Roncesvalles, Toronto, ON

Lake Ontario may span the southern perimeter of the city from end to end, however High Park offers this neighbourhood a natural border that’s just as appealing. The serenity of Toronto’s largest park, coupled with the proximity to the lake’s (mostly) placid waters, deters cutthroat and hostile types from moving in here.

Aside from the plentiful nature and bountiful residential streets, one of the main commercial strips crossing the neighbourhood is Roncesvalles Avenue, where a distinctive blend of businesses takes up residence: Polish bakeries and delis, independent coffee houses, intimate art galleries, and live music venues, to name a few.

The neighbourhood is bursting with heritage sites as well, providing an additional layer of dynamism. The Revue Cinema, for one, is Toronto’s longest standing operational movie theatre. The venue was built in 1911, and is currently operated by the non-profit Revue Film Society.

Also erected in 1911 is a Gothic Revival style church that now houses The Abbey Lofts on Sunnyside Avenue. Originally welcoming a Methodist congregation, the church’s denomination switched to United in 1925, and then to Evangelical in 1970, before being developed by Era Architects in 2008. Yet another heritage building turned Roncesvalles Condos is the Robert Watson Lofts on Sorauren Avenue, a converted candy factory similarly born of the early 1900’s.

Prior to early 20th century constructions such as these — which are now prized possessions of the Roncesvalles neighbourhood — much of the area was divided amongst a pair of landlords.

Once owned by John Howard, the celebrated Canadian surveyor eventually donated his home, Colborne Lodge, as well as Sunnyside Farm and the surrounding land to the city in the late 1890’s. Subsequently, High Park was born, and over the past century these 400 acres have become home to a zoo, a forest, an outdoor swimming pool, multiple playgrounds, gardens, baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis courts, and of course Toronto’s coveted cherry blossom trees.

Howard’s neighbour to the east of the park was Colonel Walter O’Hara, who resided in a home known as the West Lodge. O’Hara was the one to dub the area Roncesvalles, for a Spanish valley where he had fought in the 1813 Battle of the Pyrenees. His family and his life’s chronicles became eponyms for the numerous streets that are still around today — Marion Street was named for his wife, Constance for his daughter, Fermanagh for a county in Ireland, and Sorauren for another battle site during his career as a Colonel.

Following the departure of these two original patriarchs, a copious amount of homes were built in the early 1900’s, first to house British residents, and next serving a great number of Polish immigrants in the wake of World War II.

While the Roncesvalles Polish Festival pays homage to one of the areas longest established groups, today Roncesvalles and High Park is a mixed bag of residents from various backgrounds, much like the rest of the city. The architectural heritage, the sprawling park, and the welcoming inhabitants form a holy trinity of desirability for those who aren’t seeking a home in the hotbed of corporate Toronto.

There may be more than 10 condos in Roncesvalles, but none of them are what one might expect of any other west end Toronto neighbourhood. None of them are soaring, and red brick certainly features much more frequently than glass.

While certain parts of the city are lucky to have one or two lofts, Roncesvalles is home to eight. Some of these, such as the Sorauren Lofts and the Robert Watson Lofts are authentic hard loft conversions, while the Roncesvalles Lofts and the High Park Lofts are newer buildings that nevertheless attempt to emulate the loft ambiance.

Roncesvalles condos also depart from other neighbourhoods when it comes to prices; hard lofts are known to be pricey, but properties such as Feather Factory Lofts are well below the average price per square foot of downtown condos.

There's a good chance residents living in Roncesvalles condos will want to travel east — whether for work, entertainment, or visiting friends and family. Those living on the north side of the neighbourhood can walk to Keele or Dundas West Station on the Bloor-Danforth line, or catch the streetcar that heads toward the city centre via Dundas Street West. Alternatively, the Queen Streetcar is an ideal option for those who live a little further south.

Those with cars will be glad to hear that the Gardiner Expressway is just beyond the southern border of the Roncesvalles Neighbourhood. When using this route, drivers can reach either the 427 to the west or the Don Valley Parkway to the east in no time at all.

The Locals: Urban professions moonlighting as nature enthusiasts, or vice versa.

Code of Conduct: This is a place where chaos stems from street festivals and sporting tournaments rather than documents and deadlines.

What You’ll Find: A dynamic neighbourhood surrounded by nature, where locals forget the meaning of monotony and stress.

What You Won’t Find: Skyscrapers, office towers, and high-powered business meetings.

The Homes: Some of the city’s most stunning converted heritage buildings can be found here, including the Abbey Lofts on Sunnyside, the Robert Watson Lofts on Sorauren, and the rarely vacant converted baseball glove factory at 1 Columbus Avenue.

Sealing the Deal: Neighbours who actually say hello to one another on the street.