A Riverdale condo carved from a converted factory

Dear reader,

Michael Ondaatje forever immortalized Riverdale in his 1987 masterpiece, In the Skin of a Lion, which famously depicts the harrowing construction of the Bloor Street Viaduct. The novel pays tribute to the immigrant workers who built this city and reinvented themselves as Torontonians but were nevertheless relegated to the margins of history.

That ethos of reinvention remains in Riverdale—a big reason why the neighbourhood has ranked as one of the city’s best for decades. In the 1970s, Chinese immigrants turned a sleepy stretch of Gerrard into a bustling neon streetscape. Decades later, Hennick Bridgepoint Hospital transformed the oppressive Don Jail into a home for health care workers. And today, elegant new towers and mid-rises have begun to surround the area’s namesake park, home to Toronto’s most stunning skyline view.

Just up the street is Curb Appeal’s top post this week: a 1,400-square-foot townhouse condo that was once a food-processing factory. Chic on the inside and art deco rugged on the outside, it’s a fine example of Riverdale’s ability to update and adapt without sacrificing its charm.

Also in today’s newsletter: the $8.6-million shooting location of Cheaper By the Dozen 2. Plus, a detached in the Beaches with three backyard decks. Visit torontolife.com or subscribe to our print edition for all of our real estate coverage and more.

How about a $1.6-million, two-plus-one-bedroom, two-bathroom unit facing a laneway off Ainsworth Road in North Riverdale? It comes with a fun zone in the basement, a wood-burning fireplace, a private garage, a rooftop deck and nods to its industrial past. Take the tour now.

This 8,000-square-foot Stoney Lake retreat is equipped with a log-cabin frame, a two-storey boathouse and more than 200 metres of shoreline. And it’s currently going for $8.6 million.

A $2-million, three-bedroom, four-bathroom Beaches property with three decks out back. It also comes with a hot tub, storage galore in the kitchen, six parking spots and a finished sunken basement with 10-foot ceilings.

In the latest issue: our annual ranking of where to eat now. Plus, the small-town doctor who tore his community apart, confessions of a reformed shoplifter, an eye-popping history of Budweiser Stage, and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.