Lennox Mews, 230-234 St George St: 35 Annex Townhomes Near U of T

Lennox Mews is one of the few ways to own a townhouse-style home on St George Street without buying a full Annex house. It is a 1992 complex of 35 three-storey homes near Dupont, a few blocks north of the University of Toronto, with parking included in the fee. It gives you stairs, privacy and a front door of your own, and it asks you to accept the trade-offs that come with a 30-plus-year-old townhouse corporation. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Townhouse living inside a condominium

Lennox Mews is a stacked low-rise, not a tower. The complex is three storeys high, and listings describe its homes as townhouses, with the building profile also filing the complex under lofts. The common thread is that you get multi-level living with your own entrance rather than a corridor and an elevator.

Thirty-five homes is a mid-sized corporation. It is large enough to spread the cost of shared repairs, and small enough that the board and owners can know each other. Addresses in the complex run along St George Street, and you will see 228, 230, 232 and 234 used in listings, so confirm the exact municipal address and unit number on title.

I could not find a published developer, architect or set of floor plans for Lennox Mews. Suites in a complex like this tend to vary by position, end units against interior ones and street-facing against inner ones, so view more than one if you can and ask for the exact interior area of the suite you like.

Three storeys also means stairs. That is the point for many buyers, because it separates sleeping, living and working space in a way an apartment cannot. It is worth thinking about honestly if you are buying for the long term, or for a parent, since there is no elevator inside a townhouse home.

Parking, outdoor space and the practical details

Parking is included in the fee, which is a real advantage in the Annex, where street parking is tight and many house buyers on nearby streets have no driveway at all. The complex also has visitor parking, which is rare in this part of the city.

The building profile lists barbecues as permitted, which usually signals private outdoor space such as a terrace, patio or balcony. Exactly what each home has varies, so check the outdoor space and whether it is exclusive-use common element or part of the unit itself.

Fees cover common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed, which is normal for townhouse-style condos where each home has its own systems. Ask about the age of the furnace, air conditioner and water heater in the suite you are buying, because those are typically the owner’s cost, not the corporation’s.

Ask about storage too. Townhouse-style condos often rely on in-suite storage rather than a separate locker room, and the building profile does not list lockers, so check what storage comes with the home and where bikes and seasonal items actually go.

St George and Dupont, the north edge of the Annex

The complex sits on St George Street near Dupont, at the northern edge of the Annex. Walk south and you pass Annex houses and University of Toronto buildings on the way to Bloor Street. Walk north and you reach Dupont, with the escarpment and Casa Loma to the northwest.

That location suits university faculty and staff, parents of students and downtown professionals who want a quieter street than Bloor. The data panel on this page shows transit, Walk Score, food and parks.

St George has several other low-rise condos within a few blocks, including Sloane Square and Powell House further south. A few minutes west on Dupont, the Annex Loft Houses at 483 Dupont are a newer take on the same idea: a 2011 building of three-storey townhouse-lofts that Toronto Life described with 11-foot ceilings and window walls on every level. That is the comparison I would make if you are deciding between an older complex with established grounds and a newer one with more modern finishes.

Dupont itself is changing, with new mid-rise and tower proposals along the corridor. St George north of Bloor is a quieter residential street, and the low scale of the houses around Lennox Mews is a large part of its appeal.

Pricing and fees

There were no active listings in the complex when I wrote this. With 35 homes, a few sales a year is typical, and each one depends heavily on size, position and how recently the home has been renovated. The automatic panel on this page shows aggregate sale and lease figures where there is enough data to publish.

Townhouse-style condos in the Annex usually price between a large apartment condo and a semi-detached house. You are paying for multiple levels, a private entrance and parking, but without owning the land or the full exterior as you would with a freehold house.

When you compare fees, remember that the corporation is responsible for the shared building elements, which in a complex this age includes roofs, the exterior envelope, windows and any shared garage or parking area, depending on how the declaration divides responsibility. That is the real value of the fee, and also where the risk sits.

If you want me to compare a specific home here against nearby houses and condos, book a call.

Building specifications

Amenities at Lennox Mews Towns

There is no gym or party room here, and that is typical of a townhouse complex. The useful amenities are practical: parking in the fee, visitor parking for guests and outdoor space where you can barbecue.

Jatin’s honest take on Lennox Mews Towns

Lennox Mews Towns — 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.