Welcome to the Annex...

Providing a wonderful mix on Victorian and Edwardian homes as well as some high-rise apartment buildings, the Annex is central to Toronto's thriving communities while offering an electricity and personality of its own.

Location

Adjacent to Toronto's Seaton Village and Yorkville areas, the Annex borders the University of Toronto (Bloor Street West) to the south, Bathurst Street to the west, Avenue Road to the east, and the CPR railway tracks to the north,

Spadina Avenue, running north-to-south, divides the Annex neighborhood into two halves, but with no distinction between each area. The look and feel of the neighborhood is consistent throughout.

The Good News

The stretch of Bloor Street West that provides the southern border of the neighbourhood is brimming with shops and restaurants. For fare further afield, the Annex also provides walking-distance access to the fine eateries of Koreatown, Yorkville, and even Kensington Market.

The Bad News

Because the University of Toronto borders the Annex to the south, many university students make up the transient tenants of the neighbourhood, with several fraternity and sorority houses within the Annex itself. Not necessarily a bad thing, but you may find yourself invited to a kegger or two.

Homes, Architecture, and Real Estate

You’ll find the Annex’s architecture to be relatively consistent, with Victorian and Edwardian mansions lining its streets, built between 1880 and the early 1900s.

The style — coined “Annex style” — borrowed its look and feel from the American Richardson Romanesque and British Queen Anne styles, creating a design unique to Toronto. Further examples of the Annex-style home can be found throughout the city — with most in the Annex, of course.

Because of the large size of many of the mansions in the Annex, when the wealthy residents moved on, several of these large homes were divided into apartments and offices for boutique businesses.

Post–World War II development saw the destruction of some of the mansions to provide space for luxury apartments and condominiums, contrasting with the older and statelier residences.

Schools, Colleges, and Universities

The neighbourhood borders the University of Toronto, but the neighbourhood does contain a few schools as well:

Royal St. George’s College, 120 Howland Avenue
Huron Street Junior Public School, 541 Huron Street
The Waldorf Academy, 250 Madison Avenue
Central Technical School, 725 Bathurst Street
Harbord Collegiate Institute, 286 Harbord Street

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