Townhouses For Sale in Kensington-Chinatown, Old Toronto

Labourers' rows from the 1880s

The land that became Kensington Market belonged to George Taylor Denison, who bought it in 1815. It was subdivided in the 1850s, and in the 1880s small row houses went up for Irish and Scottish labourers. Those rows are still the backbone of the housing stock.

Many have changed shape since. Front extensions, ground-floor storefronts and open-air displays turned house fronts into shops, which is part of why the area was designated a National Historic Site in 2006. In the 1960s, plans to clear the houses for apartment blocks were dropped, and city policy has protected the character since.

For a buyer, that means a townhouse here may be part residential, part commercial. Check the zoning and the existing use before assuming you can convert a storefront back to living space, or keep renting it out.

Life without a car, and with Pedestrian Sundays

Kensington's streets are narrow and congested, and a large share of residents walk to work. Since 2004 the neighbourhood has closed parts of its streets to cars for Pedestrian Sundays through the warmer months.

If you need parking, expect it to be the hardest part of the search. Some rows have a rear pad off a lane; most don't. Spadina, College and Dundas streetcars run along the edges, and the planned Chinatown station on the Ontario Line, at Queen and Spadina, will put rapid transit within walking distance of the southern blocks.

For many owners the trade is worth it. Groceries, bakeries and fishmongers are a few doors away, and the hospitals and university on the far side of Spadina are a walk, not a drive.

Storefront rows on Spadina's Chinatown strip

Along Spadina itself and the side streets just off it, the older buildings are often three-storey rows with shops below and living space above. When these come up, they're usually marketed as mixed-use properties rather than townhouses, but buyers looking for a large freehold row downtown sometimes consider them.

Financing a mixed-use property is different from financing a house. Lenders look at the commercial income and use, and some will only lend if the residential portion is large enough. Speak to a lender early if you're looking at this kind of building.

Noise, deliveries and garbage collection run on a commercial schedule along Spadina, which is worth a visit early on a weekday morning before you decide.

Grange Park and Baldwin Village: the quieter side

East of Spadina, the streets around Grange Park and Baldwin Street feel more residential, with older rows and semis near the Art Gallery of Ontario and OCAD. These blocks see less foot traffic than the market but sit close to hospitals, the university and the financial district.

Townhouses here are mostly freehold Victorians, often subdivided into units at some point. When looking at one, check whether it is legally a single house or a multi-unit building, because that changes insurance, financing and what you can do next.

What inspections often find in Kensington rows

• Shared walls with a commercial neighbour, which can bring kitchen exhaust, deliveries and fire separation questions.
• Additions built over decades without permits, especially front and rear extensions.
• Older plumbing and wiring, and basements with limited height.
• Roof drainage that runs across a neighbour's roof on a continuous row.