The first gentleman had a big dumpster on the front parking pad, and was clearly undergoing a massive renovation. I feel like some Parkdale owners are a bit defensive maybe old habits die hard, as the area has begun to change. I met two home-owners during my Sunday tour – both of whom asked, “What are you doing?” when I was taking photos and videos. Apartment buildings were built where Victorian and Edwardian homes once stood, and many of the beautiful century-homes were turned into rooming houses those illegal and legal alike.īut as real estate prices in Toronto spiral out of control, I have to think that houses like the ones in the video above will become exceptionally sought-after, if they’re not already. That is what Parkdale was at the end of the 19th century, and early 20th century.Īnd as I alluded to in the video, the construction of the Gardiner Expressway not only wiped out hundreds of homes, but it also divided Parkdale and Lake Ontario.įrom the construction of the Gardiner in 1955, into the end of the 20th century, Parkdale became a slum.

Now think about the Go Train, the Gardiner, and the Lake Shore – all not being there, and a slew of Victorian homes in their place. Now picture what’s left, or north, and up that hill – that’s Parkdale. Think about driving east along the Gardiner Expressway, into the city, with the Lake Shore on your right, and Palais Royale the only thing between you and the water. Unless I was filming from the roof of the apartment building, I simply can’t convey the geography of the area, so picture it in your mind’s eye. I had so many thoughts I wanted to get through in that video, but I barely scratched the surface.īut the three bullet points from the video all kind of flow together:ġ) Parkdale used to be home to Toronto’s elite Let me give you a very brief visual tour of some massive, and massively-under-valued, 3-storey Edwardian masterpieces… I drove around Parkdale on Sunday shooting this video, and I ended up chatting with two residents who both feel as though they got absolute steals with the houses they purchased. Or for those of you that already live there, would you say the “under-valued” ship has sailed, and the prices have already taken off?

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