THE NEIGHBOURHOOD
Lawrence Park proper is a planned residential neighbourhood bounded by Yonge Street to the east, Avenue Road to the west, Lawrence Avenue to the north, and Blythwood Road to the south. Its sister neighbourhood Lytton Park occupies the triangle immediately south, between Yonge, Blythwood, and the ravine. Together, they form the most complete expression of the early 20th-century garden suburb ideal in Toronto -- curving streets that follow the natural contours of the Blythwood Ravine system, mature tree canopy of a quality that takes generations to produce, and residential architecture whose variety reflects individual decision-making over more than a century.
Lawrence subway station is on the Yonge line immediately adjacent to the neighbourhood. Pusateri's Fine Foods is steps away. Alexander Muir Memorial Gardens -- one of the city's most beautiful formal park spaces -- is within the neighbourhood. The Bedford Park neighbourhood to the north provides an additional retail and dining corridor along Yonge Street between Lawrence and Hanna.
THE RAVINE SYSTEM
The Blythwood Ravine runs through the centre of Lytton Park, connecting south to the Sherwood Park trail system and north toward the Belt Line Trail. Properties backing onto the ravine command a premium that reflects both the landscape quality and the permanence of the natural buffer -- the ravine is not going anywhere, and the privacy it provides is guaranteed rather than contingent on what is built adjacent. The ravine trail system is directly accessible from most of the neighbourhood's residential streets.
THE BUILDINGS
Lawrence Park and Lytton Park are freehold markets with very limited condo development. Three purpose-built luxury boutique buildings have arrived or are arriving in this market cycle, representing the first significant wave of premium condominium development in these neighbourhoods.
The Aston Residences at 3200 Yonge Street is the most architecturally significant of the three -- designed by Richard Wengle Architect (the practice behind 10 Prince Arthur in Yorkville) with Irpinia kitchens, gas fireplaces, 10-foot ceilings, and limestone and concrete exterior with graceful arches. Approximately 80 suites from $1.9 million, occupancy targeted for 2029.
The Chatsworth at 33 Chatsworth Drive is a 5-storey boutique of 29 suites on one of Lawrence Park South's most private residential streets, priced from $3 million to $8.4 million. The Winslow at 2781 Yonge Street is Devron Developments' 68-suite Lytton Park address, nearing completion, with cascading terraces overlooking the neighbourhood's tree canopy and the ravine below.
THE SCHOOLS
Lawrence Park is home to Lawrence Park Collegiate Institute, one of the city's most academically distinguished public secondary schools. The neighbourhood is within the catchment for a concentration of Toronto's most regarded public and independent schools, and the proximity to The York School, Toronto French School, and others makes it among the most educationally rich residential addresses in the city.
THE MARKET
Lawrence Park and Lytton Park freehold properties range from approximately $2.5 million for a smaller renovated property on a quieter street to $10 million-plus for the largest ravine-lot estates. The freehold market is slow-moving and long-holding -- residents arrive with children and typically stay through to retirement and beyond. The condo market is newly forming, and the pricing of The Aston, The Chatsworth, and The Winslow reflects both the neighbourhood premium and the first-mover advantage of owning in a boutique building before the market has established comparable transactions.
To buy or sell in Lawrence Park or Lytton Park, connect with Nissan Michael and Grace Chan at mryorkville.com.
