217 St George Street and the three historic houses across the street at 228, 230, and 234 St George typify the single family houses that once lined the grand streets of the Annex. The Annex, known as one of the City’s first “suburban” neighbourhoods, retains many of its historic houses, typically now home to professors, writers, and university students. Recently, the historic houses at 217 and 230 have gone through a conversion to condominium housing units by Urban Corp.

The condominium units at 217 St George incorporate the historic house at the north end of the complex (note the original red sandstone columns at the entrance shared with Unit 14). The housing complex was designed to allow each unit owner a private street entrance. Owners of second-floor units also enter their unit at street level and immediately ascend a staircase to their two-storey unit with a roof top patio.

In the other condominium conversion project, at 230 St George, the developer links the three historic houses together with a new multi-housing unit to the rear to make one housing complex. Completed in 1996, the condominium complex retains the distinct appearance of the three original houses. The building at the south, 228 St George, was designed in 1901 by Arts and Crafts architect, Eden Smith (1858–1949). Originally from England, Smith established an architectural practice in Toronto and went on to design over 2,000 houses in the city, the best known of which are in the historic district of Wychwood Park. In the middle of the trio of houses stands a house designed in 1909 by local architects, Edwards and Saunders. At the north, 234 St George was constructed in 1903 as the home for Robert Watson, who commissioned one of Toronto’s most influential architects, E.J. Lennox (1855–1933), for the design. Lennox was architect of the west wing of the provincial Legislative Assembly building at Queen’s Park, the similarly styled Old City Hall (Queen and Bay streets), and Casa Loma (1910) at the top of Spadina Avenue.

Tamara Anson-Cartwright