If anybody should be able to demonstrate a holier than thou attitude with respect to where they live, it would be the owners at St. George on Sheldrake.

This church sanctuary turned condo represents one of the most unique residential spaces I’ve seen in the entire city of Toronto…

A few months ago, I wrote an article about a church that was for sale in the Bloor & Ossington area.  (click here)

I surmised that the land the church is built upon would be prime for a condominium development, but I wondered if there was any way to incorporate the original 100-year-old church into the project.

I also admitted that I’m a “bad guy” for wanting to tear down a church and build condos, so save me the rhetoric…

All the while, I never considered writing about the incredible project at 65 Sheldrake Avenue in Lawrence Park, known as “St. George on Sheldrake,” or sometimes “St. George Lofts.”

Well, here goes nothin’…

Built in 1923, the Eglinton United Church was designed by renowned Toronto architects Horwood & White.

Originally as the firm Burke, Horwood, & White, the trio were one of the most successful and influential architectural firms in Canada during the building boom that took place around World War One.  They had designed many of the oldest churches in Toronto, as well as a series of commercial buildings across Canada that included Hudson’s Bay Co.’s department stores in Calgary, Vancouver, and British Columbia.

They were consultants on civic planning projects such as the Bloor Street Viaduct, and designed many of the largest and most expensive homes in Toronto in the early 1900’s.

One of their greatest achievements was designing the Eglinton-St.George United Church in Toronto as a partial replica of the Keeble College at Oxford University.

Here is a current photo of the Keeble College at Oxford University:

And while I don’t have a photo of the Eglinton-St. George United Church as it was before the conversion to a condominium, here is a current photo of the structure:

In the late 1990’s, the church sanctuary at 65 Sheldrake Boulevard ceased its operations and became vacant.  The other adjacent buildings, however, were still in use, as the church hall and Sunday School buildings were being used as private schools.

In 2001, the church sanctuary was converted into 33 residential condominium units.

The church hall and Sunday school buildings were razed and rebuilt to serve the same purpose, and the old detached house at 39 Sheldrake Boulevard was demolished and not replaced.

So how did this all come about?

Well I don’t know much about religion or churches, but I would assume it takes money to fund them…

In 1999, the property came onto the open market for $4,500,000 as listed by Trustees of Eglinton-St. George’s United Church.  The property was 1.38 acres – HUGE property anywhere in the city, and consisted of the house at 39 Sheldrake Blvd and the church buildings at 65 Sheldrake as well.

Somebody saw an opportunity, and two years later there were 33 residential condominium units for sale starting at a paltry $399,000.

As you would probably assume, each unit is absolutely gorgeous with every conceivable upgrades.

Ceiling heights start at ten feet and go as high as twenty-four feet.

Original church features such as stained-glass windows and timber-frames are still present while endless upgrades include real hardwood flooring, granite countertops, marble bathrooms & foyers, wainscotting, chef’s kitchens, floor-to-ceiling windows, and who could forget the terraces!

Every unit has a private terrace, some upwards of 1500 square feet!

The units themselves, for comparison, are as small as 1200 square feet and as large as 3000.  The largest units are billed as being “a house within a condominium.”

As a terrace fanatic, what amazes me are the proportions of indoor space compared to outdoor.

For example, consider a 1235 square foot condo with a 685 square foot terrace!  And this is one of the “entry level” units…

Since the units were first sold in 2001, only five of the thirty-three units have ever changed hands on the resale market.

So how do the units appreciate in value?  It’s kind of hard to tell, since there are only two units to judge from – having sold on MLS from the builder to the first occupant, and then on to the second occupant.

One unit sold in 2002 for $414,500, and then again in 2008 for $730,000.  A 76% return in six years isn’t too shabby.

But then another unit sold for $794,500 in 2001, and again in 2009 for $955,000.  Only a 20% return in eight years!

I guess each unit is different, both in terms of the style and space, and in terms of the saleability and natural appreciation in value!

Most of the units in the building come with two underground parking spaces, as there are actually 75 total parking spaces for the 33 units, meaning some units actually come with THREE!

There are underground “parking racks” for 26 bicycles, 15 visitor parking spaces, and 5 handicapped spaces as well.

I live in a building with 332 total units and we have 20 underground visitor parking spaces.

St. George on Sheldrake has 33 total units at 15 underground visitor parking spaces.

I really, really like that ratio!

Last but not least, for those of you who don’t know where 65 Sheldrake Boulevard actually is, take a look at this map:

Yonge Street is the nucleus of any neighborhood, from the waterfront right up into North York and beyond.

The residences of St. George on Sheldrake are a stone’s throw from a vibrant Yonge Street strip, yet tucked away in a very quiet, calm, residential, family neighborhood.

You’ve got the best of both worlds.

There is nothing quite like St. George on Sheldrake in our city, and while there are other church-conversions such as Glebe Lofts at 660 Pape Avenue, there is nothing as prestigious as living at 65 Sheldrake Blvd.

With condos upwards of 3000 square feet, and upwards of $3,000,000 in value, the size and stature of these church-inspired units is unparallelled.

Every single day in my world as a Realtor, I see a condo, a house, a neighborhood, or a building that I’d love to call “home.”

65 Sheldrake Boulevard and the magnificent terraced-suites have been added to my ever-growing wish-list.

Yet I still go home to my 585 square foot condo, every single night…