Thornwood One, 20 Scrivener Square: Summerhill Beside the Old Station

Thornwood One is the building I describe to buyers as Rosedale without the house. It is a 10-storey mid-rise of 163 suites on Scrivener Square in Summerhill, beside the restored North Toronto railway station that is now the LCBO’s flagship store, and it trades at prices most buildings of its age never reach. The location explains most of that. Layout explains the rest. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built beside a 1916 railway station

Scrivener Square exists because of the North Toronto railway station, a Beaux Arts building from around 1916 on Yonge Street at Summerhill. The station was restored and became the LCBO’s flagship store, and the land behind it was redeveloped with a new street and the Thornwood mid-rises.

That history gives the building something most condos never have: a landmark next door that cannot be replaced by a tower. The clock tower, the square and the low-rise streets of Rosedale around it set the scale of the whole pocket, and that is a large part of why buyers pay what they do here.

The ACO building record lists no heritage designation for the condominium itself, so the protection comes from the setting rather than from the building.

It also explains the shape of the site. The buildings sit back from Yonge behind the station on a short private-feeling street, so you arrive through a square rather than off a busy sidewalk. For many buyers that sense of arrival is worth as much as any finish inside the suite.

Thornwood One or Thornwood II? Check the paperwork

Thornwood is two buildings: 20 Scrivener Square and 25 Scrivener Square. Condos.ca calls 20 Scrivener Thornwood One, with a 2002 registration, and lists 25 Scrivener as Thornwood 2, a 13-storey building of 135 suites from 2004.

The Architectural Conservancy Ontario record, however, lists 20 Scrivener Square as Thornwood II, completed in 2004, with Young + Wright Architects as architect, Cresford Developments as developer and Bird Construction as builder. The naming and dates conflict between sources.

For a buyer the practical point is simple. The two buildings are separate corporations with separate budgets and reserve funds, so make sure the status certificate you are reading is for TSCC-1476 at 20 Scrivener and not for the building across the square.

Curved walls, a stepped profile and semi-private elevators

The building steps back above the sixth floor, which gives some upper suites terraces and leaves sixth-floor suites with no balcony overhead, so they get more light. A Globe and Mail feature described curved walls and angled layouts in some suites, and a model suite designed by Brian Gluckstein when the building was sold.

The feature buyers remember is the semi-private elevator. In certain suites the elevator opens into a rotunda inside the home, so you step out of the elevator into your own foyer rather than a hallway. An agent quoted in that article said it was one of the main draws for buyers, and that turnover on the park-facing east side is low.

Suites run from about 565 sq ft to about 3,660 sq ft, a wide range that brings together empty-nesters, families and young singles in one building. Confirm which suites have the semi-private elevator; it is not every suite.

Daily life in Summerhill

This is a village rather than a downtown corner. Patisseries, boutiques, cafés and bistros line Yonge around Summerhill, and David A. Balfour Park and the ravine trails are close by. For a large grocery shop you will likely be driving.

The noise and activity are modest by midtown standards, but the LCBO store does bring customers and delivery trucks to the square. If a suite faces the store or the loading area, visit at a busy time.

The surrounding streets are some of the most stable in the city. East and north of the square are the houses of Rosedale and Moore Park, and the low-rise character of the Yonge strip here has changed slowly over the years. That stability is a real part of what an owner is buying.

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Why Thornwood One costs what it does

Condos.ca reports a building average of about $1,351 per square foot. That is very high for a building of this age; Thornwood 2 across the square shows about $1,204, and many newer midtown towers sit below both. Buyers here are paying for the Summerhill and Rosedale location, the low-rise setting and the suite design, not for new construction.

Three suites were listed for sale when I checked, asking between about $699,000 and $1,998,000, with monthly fees of roughly $800 to $1,140 across those listings. The fee includes heat, air conditioning, water and parking, which narrows the gap with newer buildings where those costs are separate.

Because the price per square foot is high, small differences in size, outlook and the elevator arrangement move value a lot. Compare like with like, east side with east side and semi-private elevator suites with each other. For example, a suite that has been fully renovated since its original finishes will also sit well above one that has not, so separate the condition premium from the location premium before you write an offer. For the recorded sales, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Thornwood One

The amenities are modest and were recently refurbished according to the Globe feature: a gym, a party room and a large shared terrace. The real amenity is the square, the station and Summerhill’s shops outside the door. Low amenity costs also help keep the fee reasonable for a building at this price level.

Jatin’s honest take on Thornwood One

Thornwood One — 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.