Thornwood II, 25 Scrivener Square: Rosedale Beside the Old Station

Thornwood II is the building I point to when someone wants Rosedale without a Rosedale house. It sits on Scrivener Square beside the old North Toronto railway station, has a concierge and a fee that covers heat, cooling and parking, and offers suites from compact one-bedrooms to nearly 4,000 square feet. It is now over 20 years old and right next to a busy development site, and both matter. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two towers on an old railway yard

Scrivener Square is one of the more interesting addresses in midtown. The square sits beside the former North Toronto station, a Beaux Arts railway station by Darling and Pearson that opened in 1916, closed to regular passengers in 1930 and has housed a liquor store since 1940. Woodcliffe restored the building around the same time the Thornwood towers were finished, and its clock tower still anchors the square.

Thornwood is a pair of buildings: Thornwood One at 20 Scrivener Square and this building, Thornwood II, at 25. The contractor describes Phase II as a 13-storey building of about 175,000 square feet built beside Phase I, sharing two levels of underground parking. Public records do not label the phases consistently, so when you compare listings, go by street number rather than phase name.

The developer was Cresford Developments, and the architect was Young + Wright, later part of IBI Group. The facade uses architectural precast panels, so the result is a solid-looking mid-rise tower rather than a glass one, which suits the setting next to the heritage station and the houses of Rosedale to the east.

The 13-storey height is part of the appeal. It is tall enough for views but low enough that the building reads as part of the neighbourhood rather than a landmark, and 135 suites keeps elevators and the lobby manageable. It is a different experience from the much taller towers clustered around Yonge and Bloor to the south.

Suites from 570 to nearly 4,000 square feet

Recorded sizes run from about 570 to 3,996 square feet. That range covers everything from a one-bedroom to suites that compete with a house, and it gives the building an unusually mixed group of owners, from professionals in their first condo to downsizers selling Rosedale and Moore Park homes.

One detail I like: when the building was sold, buyers had private consultations with an interior designer to choose custom finishes, and the contractor coordinated those choices suite by suite. That means suites here can vary more in layout and finish than in a typical tower. It is worth viewing several, and asking what was original and what has been renovated.

Garden-level suites with outdoor space and upper-floor suites with views over Rosedale and toward downtown are the ones that tend to command the strongest interest. The smaller suites are the more liquid ones when you sell, simply because more buyers can afford them.

A fee that covers more than most

The fee is recorded as covering common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance, parking and water. That leaves hydro as your main utility. Many newer midtown towers charge for parking separately and meter heating and cooling to each suite, so a lower fee elsewhere is not always a lower monthly cost.

The amenity package is about service rather than recreation: a concierge, guest suites, a party room, a meeting room and visitor parking. For owners of large suites, the concierge and guest suites are the features that make condo life feel like a step up from a house rather than a step down.

Because the corporation pays for heating and cooling, the condition of that central equipment matters to every owner. In a 2004 building, I would read the reserve fund study for the timing of major mechanical, window and garage work, especially given that the garage is shared with Thornwood One.

Summerhill, and what is planned next door

Daily life here is about the Summerhill strip of Yonge Street: the station’s liquor store, independent food shops and restaurants, Summerhill subway station and the quiet streets of Rosedale and Moore Park a few minutes east. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and nearby food and parks.

The land directly south of Scrivener Square has been the subject of a major proposal. In 2018 Diamond Corp and Tricon Capital took a plan called Scrivener Court, with a 21-storey tower on a nine-storey podium designed by COBE Architects, to the city’s Design Review Panel; part of that site sits over Summerhill station and a new station entrance was proposed. Check the current status of that application, because it affects views, construction noise and the square itself over the next several years.

Rosedale pricing, with parking and heat in the fee

The building’s average sits at about $1,204 per square foot. That is a premium price for a 20-year-old building, and it reflects the address: a short walk to Rosedale, a heritage setting and a concierge building in an area with very few condominiums.

Two things to keep in mind when you compare. First, the fee includes parking, heat and air conditioning, so the true monthly cost is closer to newer buildings than the headline fee suggests. Second, very large suites usually trade for less per square foot than small ones, so the building average will overstate the value of a 3,000-square-foot suite and may understate a well-finished one-bedroom.

There was only one suite for sale when I checked, so I am not citing an asking range. If you are weighing a suite here or next door at Thornwood One, ask me for the building sold report so you can see what both buildings have actually traded for.

Building specifications

Amenities at Thornwood II

There is no pool on record, and the package leans toward service: a staffed concierge, guest suites for visiting family and rooms for entertaining. For downsizers, that is usually the combination that matters most.

Jatin’s honest take on Thornwood II

Thornwood II — 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.