No. 7 Rosedale, 7 Dale Ave: Hariri Pontarini on a South Rosedale Ravine

No. 7 Rosedale is the rare new condo built inside a heritage conservation district, on a ravine lot that took almost a decade to get from proposal to keys. Twenty-six suites sit in a four-storey Hariri Pontarini building of Danish brick and Ontario limestone, with historic gardens kept as common ground behind it. It is one of the most expensive small buildings in the city, and the price only makes sense if you understand what you are buying. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A site with two centuries of Rosedale history

The Globe and Mail traced the site back to the mid-1800s, when lawyer John Hoskin built a Gothic Revival mansion called The Dale on the edge of the ravine. That house came down after the estate was subdivided, and in the mid-20th century architect Gordon Adamson designed a modernist house here for Clare Wood of Hobbs Glass, known as the Hobbs Sun House.

By 2016 the assembled lots held three mid-century bungalows built between 1945 and 1954, according to UrbanToronto, including a house associated with former Toronto mayor Ralph Day. The site sits in the South Rosedale Heritage Conservation District, created in 2003, and the houses were rated at the district’s lowest contributing level, which allowed replacement only by something of equal or better architectural value.

Platinum Vista filed in 2016, and the plans were revised more than once before final approval came in 2019. Construction began in May 2020 and ran through pandemic delays before registration in 2024.

Brick at the front, glass at the back

Siamak Hariri’s firm reduced an earlier five-storey scheme to four storeys and split the building into two wings with separate cores, so that part of the street view toward the ravine survives. From Dale Avenue the building is red Danish brick with dormers that answer the houses around it; the ravine side is more contemporary.

Inside, Studio Munge did the interiors. The 2020 launch coverage from blogTO described 10-foot ceilings, in-floor heating, gas fireplaces, stone slab finishes and freestanding soaker tubs, and the Globe described custom-controlled heating and cooling in each suite. A suite the Globe toured had about 3,250 sq ft, floor-to-ceiling glass to the gardens and a private terrace.

The unit mix moved during design. UrbanToronto’s 2016 report described six two-bedroom and twenty three-bedroom suites, while most suites listed today are large two-bedroom plans, plus at least one three-bedroom-plus-den. Treat bedroom count as a poor guide here and compare square footage and outdoor space instead.

The two-wing plan has a practical side too. Separate cores usually mean separate elevators and fewer suites sharing each lobby, so a buyer’s privacy depends partly on which wing a suite is in. Ask which suites share your elevator.

The gardens are the amenity

The feature no other condo in the city can copy is behind the building. The historic Dunington-Grubb and Stensson gardens from the Hobbs Sun House were preserved as common area, including a Pennsylvania stone terrace, a fountain, a statue and a tea house, with new formal beds by Janet Rosenberg.

The Globe also reported that the developer cleared invasive plants from the ravine, planted about 1,200 trees and returned that land to public ownership. That protects the outlook, but it also means you should confirm exactly where the corporation’s land ends and the public ravine begins, and what the corporation is responsible for maintaining.

Heritage gardens are not cheap to keep. Ask how the gardens are budgeted in the reserve fund and the operating budget, and who the landscape contractor is.

South Rosedale, day to day

Dale Avenue is a quiet, curving street of large houses in South Rosedale, tucked against the Rosedale Valley. This is a neighbourhood for walking dogs and seeing neighbours, not for errands on foot. Most daily shopping means a trip to Yonge Street or Bloor.

The planning history works in your favour. The heritage district, the ravine and a hard-won approval all stand between you and anything tall nearby, so the setting you buy is likely to stay the setting you live in.

Condos.ca does not yet list a property manager or fee inclusions for the building, which is common in the first years after registration while the board settles its contracts. Ask who manages the building today, whether that contract is permanent, and what the fee covers before you compare it with anything else in Rosedale.

What No. 7 Rosedale costs

When I checked, four suites were listed for sale, asking from about $6.9 million to $16.5 million. Three were two-bedroom plans and the most expensive was a three-bedroom-plus-den. Monthly fees across those four listings ranged from about $4,200 to $5,700.

Condos.ca does not publish suite sizes or an average price per square foot for this building yet, and there is little resale history, because the building only registered in 2024. That means asking prices are still being tested against the market, and with four listings at once, buyers have more leverage here than they usually would in a 26-suite building.

Ask for square footage, terrace size and parking with every listing, and compare price per square foot rather than headline price. The 2016 plans called for 58 underground parking spaces for 26 suites, so multiple spaces per suite are likely, but confirm the count for the suite you want.

Building specifications

Amenities at No. 7 Rosedale

Launch materials promised a gym with a yoga studio, sauna, infrared sauna and steam shower alongside a party room and 24-hour concierge, and the Globe reported a fitness centre, spa and concierge at completion. The gardens, though, are what you will actually use every day, and they are what you are paying for.

Jatin’s honest take on No. 7 Rosedale

No. 7 Rosedale — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.