The Parkside, 245 Davisville Ave: Nine Storeys Facing June Rowlands Park

The Parkside is the building I point to when a buyer says they want Davisville but not a tower. It is nine storeys of yellow brick looking over June Rowlands Park, the suites are bigger than most of what has been built on Davisville since, and the fee covers your heat, your cooling and your parking. What it does not have is a long amenity list, and I would rather you know that now. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A low, L-shaped building in a street of towers

The Parkside was conceived around 2001 and finished in 2003. The Globe and Mail described it as an L-shaped, yellow-brick building with oblong balconies and large windows, and at nine floors it reads more like the older apartment buildings on Davisville than the glass towers now going up closer to Yonge.

That shape matters. An L plan gives more suites a corner or a second exposure than a straight slab would, and the building is low enough that it does not dominate the street. Greenco, the developer, is not a household name the way Tridel or Menkes are, so I judge this building on how it has been run since 2003 rather than on the brand.

I could not find the architect’s name in any source I trust. If that matters to you, ask the corporation or check the original building permit records.

The park is the reason to buy here

June Rowlands Park sits directly to the north. It is home to the Davisville Tennis Club, and the Globe noted it has hosted a Tuesday evening farmers market through the warmer months. If you have a dog or a small child, a park across the street changes your day more than any amenity room could.

The other point the Globe made is that the north and west views over the park are unlikely to be built out. In midtown, where a tower can appear on the next lot within a few years, a protected outlook is worth real money. Ask which way a suite faces before you fall for the kitchen; a north or west unit with a park view is a different product from one looking into a neighbour’s wall.

The City is also building a new aquatic and community centre on the Davisville Junior Public School site, east of Yonge and Davisville. The City’s latest update targets completion in March 2027 and opening in spring or summer 2027, with a 25-metre lap pool, a leisure pool and a rooftop walking track. That will fill the one gap this building has, which is a pool.

Bigger suites than the new builds

Suites here run from about 570 to 1,070 square feet. That means very few true small units: the bottom of the range is a decent one-bedroom, and the top is a full two-bedroom with room for a dining table. The Globe profiled a two-bedroom, two-bathroom plan of about 1,000 square feet with the bedrooms split from the living area and a primary bedroom with a walk-in closet and ensuite.

Compare that with a new two-bedroom near Yonge and Davisville, which is often closer to 700 square feet. If you are downsizing from a house, that extra 300 square feet is the difference between keeping your furniture and selling it.

Being a 2003 building, the original kitchens and bathrooms in many suites will be dated unless an owner has renovated. Price that in, and look at what each suite has had done rather than assuming they are all the same.

What daily life is like on this stretch of Davisville

This end of Davisville Avenue is residential and fairly calm, with Mount Pleasant Road a short walk east and the Yonge and Davisville shops and subway to the west; the data panel on this page has the exact transit and school details. A bus runs along Davisville and stops in front of the building.

The Globe described the building’s residents as a real mix: young couples and families, professionals, older couples and downsizers. In my experience that kind of mix is what keeps a mid-size building well run, because owners who plan to stay tend to show up to the annual meeting.

The thing to watch is change around you rather than in the building. Towers have been rising around Yonge and Davisville for years, and construction and traffic are part of living in midtown now. Check the City’s development applications map for the blocks south and east of the building before you buy, because those are the sides a new tower could affect.

Pricing: below the new towers, with parking in the fee

Condos.ca puts the average at about $821 per square foot. That sits close to Rio II on Merton Street at about $839 and above The Hampton, also on Merton, at about $753. The new towers near Yonge and Davisville ask more per foot, but in smaller suites, and parking there is usually a separate line.

The fee covers heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking. Hydro is not listed, so you pay your own electricity. When you compare this fee with a newer building, add back the parking charge and the heating and cooling bills you would pay elsewhere before you decide which one is cheaper.

There was only one suite for sale and none for rent when I checked, which is normal for a 148-suite building where owners stay. That also means the per-foot average can move on a handful of sales, so lean on the sold and leased medians in the data panel or my building sold report rather than one asking price.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Parkside

This is a short list: no pool, and no gym is listed on condos.ca. You buy here for the park, the suite size and the fee structure, and you join a gym or wait for the new Davisville pool for the rest.

Jatin’s honest take on The Parkside

The Parkside — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.