51 Foundry Ave., Unit 55, Toronto
Asking Price: $869,900
Taxes: $3,514.04 (2025)
Monthly maintenance fee: $696.41
Agent: Ira Jelinek, Harvey Kalles Real Estate
The backstory
In Toronto’s industrial past, the area around Lansdowne Avenue and Davenport Road was known for sturdy Edwardian buildings where workers fabricated railway cars, fire hydrants, ornamental gates and other components of a burgeoning society.
In 1903, Canada Foundry Co. Ltd. began operations in a long, brick building that would become a landmark on Lansdowne.
By 2006, most of the factories had moved out and the area was becoming more residential. New townhouses were built on land adjacent to the shuttered foundry, which had been sitting unused since Canadian General Electric ceased operations there in 1981.
The townhouses on Foundry Avenue were designed to fit in with the neighbourhood’s Edwardian architecture.Unique vtour Ltd.
In 2008, the area’s revitalization continued as the derelict factory was converted to the Foundry Lofts.
Lynne Atkinson was planning to search for a home in the suburbs for herself and her young daughter in 2014 when she checked out properties for sale in the city and saw an end-unit townhouse on Foundry Avenue.
She was immediately drawn to the community with kids playing outside and the large Earlscourt Park right across the street.
“I didn’t even know this was an option,” she says of the enclave close to transit, parks and Queen’s Park, where she was working at the time. “It’s a really vibrant neighbourhood.”
Appliances in the L-shaped kitchen have been upgraded to new stainless-steel models and the light fixtures have been replaced.Unique vtour Ltd.
The house today
The townhouses were designed to fit in with the neighbourhood’s Edwardian architecture. The stone cladding and brick on the façade blend with the red brick of the refurbished foundry walls.
No. 55 is a corner unit with three bedrooms plus a den.
Ms. Atkinson says the property had been rented out in the years before she bought it, but it was well-maintained, and the sellers had replaced the flooring with new hardwood throughout.
Some of the interior was dated, so Ms. Atkinson set out to freshen up the paint and finishes for her and her daughter, Evie.
The home’s dining area and living room.Unique vtour Ltd.
The lower level has an opening to a private patio.
Ms. Atkinson upgraded the appliances with new stainless-steel models, replaced light fixtures and painted the cabinets white in the L-shaped kitchen.
She knocked through part of a wall to create a pantry and storage.
That level also has a den, which could be turned into a fourth bedroom.
“That room has had many different lives,” Ms. Atkinson says.
For a time, it was a home gym, then it became a kids’ playroom after Evie’s brother Kellan came along. During the pandemic, Ms. Atkinson created a home office.
The primary bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and walk-in shower.Unique vtour Ltd.
The home’s upper level has three bedrooms, including a primary bedroom with an ensuite bathroom and walk-in shower.
A second bathroom on that level has a full bathtub.
Outside the south-facing entrance, raised beds provide space for herbs and plants.
“We’ve planted tons of flowers and even vegetables in there,” Ms. Atkinson says.
The home also has parking for one vehicle in an underground garage.
The best feature
Ms. Atkinson says the Wallace-Emerson neighbourhood has continued to attract young families and new hot spots, including art galleries, cafés and restaurants on nearby Geary Avenue.
“It was an industrial strip with a fish shop and auto mechanics,” Ms. Atkinson says of the streetscape when she moved to the area.
The lower level also has an opening to a private patio.Unique vtour Ltd.
Earlscourt Park has an abundance of activities, including an outdoor ice rink, pool, tennis courts, playground and an off-leash area for dogs where the family takes their Rhodesian Ridgeback for a romp.
Lots of young families continue to be drawn to the townhouse development, where kids play outside and knock on each other’s doors. The adults also get together to socialize on warm evenings.
“It feels like a community,” says Ms. Atkinson. “I found it thinking it was just going to be an interlude – it became the foundation of my life.”