Ancroft Place, Rosedale: 1927 Tudor Townhouses Sold as Condominiums

Ancroft Place is not a condo building in any sense most buyers would recognise. It is 21 brick townhouses from 1927, with steep slate-grey roofs and small-paned windows, set along a cul-de-sac on the edge of the Rosedale ravine. It is held as a condominium, which is the only reason a Rosedale house of this quality comes with a maintenance fee and a status certificate. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1927 rental enclave that became a condominium

Kenneth Ferns Mackenzie built Ancroft Place in 1927 as rental housing. The Globe and Mail described it as a way for people to live in Rosedale before they could afford to buy there. For most of its life that is exactly what it was: a single-owner property of townhouses for rent.

The sources disagree slightly on the paperwork. Condos.ca records the condominium corporation, MTCC-745, as registered in 1987, while UrbanToronto and The Globe and Mail both reported in 2010 that the homes, then still rented, were being sold individually as condominiums by Canlight. Both can be true, but if you are buying, have your lawyer walk you through the registration and declaration history.

Heritage status is also reported slightly differently: UrbanToronto says the City listed the community in 1973, and The Globe and Mail says it was designated in 1972. Either way, it has been on the City’s heritage radar for more than 50 years, and that affects what you can change outside.

The architecture is the asset

The homes are arranged in three blocks on landscaped grounds with mature trees. Four face Sherbourne Street and seventeen front Ancroft Place itself. On the north side of the street some houses step back and others push forward, which gives the row the look of an English village lane rather than a terrace.

Architect Eberhard Zeidler is quoted in both UrbanToronto and The Globe and Mail praising it as some of the best housing ever built in Toronto. That kind of endorsement does not change your mortgage, but it does tell you the design has held up, and that buyers will keep wanting it.

The south side of the cul-de-sac is a line of mature trees on the north bank of the Rosedale ravine, just over the Sherbourne Street bridge. It is a quiet, dead-end street a few hundred metres north of Bloor, which is about as private as central Toronto gets.

Layouts, original details and the 2010 updates

These are full houses. UrbanToronto put the homes at about 1,800 to 2,800 sq ft, in two- and three-storey plans with three to six bedrooms. Each has a living room with a wood-burning fireplace and a separate dining room, two upstairs bathrooms and, in some homes, fireplaces in the bedrooms.

Original details include nine-foot ceilings, crown mouldings and leaded glass. When Canlight brought the homes to market, UrbanToronto reported new boilers feeding radiator heat, central air conditioning, new roofs and double-pane windows made to match the original lead-frame pattern. The Globe and Mail added that kitchens, bathrooms, mechanical systems and wiring were part of the renovation plan.

Parking is by individual garage and outdoor space at the rear, according to UrbanToronto. Because each home was renovated as it sold, finishes and systems can differ from one house to the next. Do not assume one home matches its neighbour.

What daily life on the cul-de-sac is like

Ancroft Place runs east off Sherbourne Street just north of the bridge over the Rosedale ravine. There is no through traffic, so the street belongs to the residents, their visitors and the trees. The ravine edge along the south side gives the homes a green outlook that most Rosedale houses on wider streets do not have.

Bloor Street is a few hundred metres south, which puts groceries, cafés and the Bloor-Yonge area within walking distance, while the rest of Rosedale’s house streets and ravine trails open up to the north. It is a central address that does not feel central once you turn into the street.

The trade-off of a shared heritage enclave is that you live by its rules. Exterior colours, windows, roofs and landscaping are collective decisions, and alterations may also need heritage approval. For most buyers that is precisely the appeal: the streetscape you buy into is the one you will keep. For anyone planning major exterior changes, it is a reason to look at a freehold house instead.

How to think about price and fees here

There were no active listings when I checked, and condos.ca does not publish a reliable price per square foot for the community. With only 21 homes, sales are infrequent and each one depends heavily on size, renovation and position on the street.

So I price Ancroft Place against two benchmarks: freehold houses in South Rosedale of a similar size, and other condominium townhouses in midtown. Against the first, you give up land ownership and pay a monthly fee. Against the second, you get a far more distinctive house on a far better street.

The fee covers heat, parking, building insurance and common elements. UrbanToronto noted that maintenance pays for grounds-keeping, snow removal and exterior maintenance, and that there is no amenities package. That is the real value of the fee: on a heritage property, exterior work such as slate roofs, masonry and windows is expensive, and the corporation carries it rather than you alone.

For the recorded resale history, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Ancroft Place

There is no gym, pool or concierge, and there is not meant to be. What the corporation provides is the upkeep of a heritage streetscape, the gardens, snow clearing and the exteriors, which is what owners here are actually paying for.

Jatin’s honest take on Ancroft Place

Ancroft Place — 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.