Characterized by sprawling Victorian homes and low-rise buildings from the early 1900s, Roncesvalles Avenue is a vital neighbourhood in Toronto’s ongoing conversation around critical “missing middle” architecture. Previously divided into two non-compliant apartments, Siglo House transforms an aging Victorian on the Roncesvalles strip for contemporary usage while maintaining its relationship to the surrounding single-family typology. During our complete interior renovation of the property, we worked with local authorities to convert the house into a legal triplex that preserves heritage aspects while improving functionality, adding rental housing to the neighbourhood, and seamlessly folding into its existing architectural context.

The interior of the three-storey house was completely reorganized to incorporate code compliant fire separations, life safety, and dedicated HVAC systems in all units, alongside new mechanical and plumbing, carefully integrated to maintain high ceilings throughout the apartments. Reorganizing how entryways and staircases functioned, we devised three purpose-designed rental units with dedicated entrances and outdoor space, generous foyers, in-suite laundry, four-piece bathrooms, and built-in storage. Renovations to an existing addition at the rear of the house improved its appearance from the backyard, enlarged fire-rated windows and door openings, and integrated a new, third-storey private patio.

Each apartment represents its own story of judicious space-planning. In the home’s largest unit, which unfolds over three levels, we strategically peeled back original enclosures, walls, and doorways, creating more usable living space and summoning a lightness that highlights the home’s essential volumes and geometries. The top floor houses an array of services, devised to avoid bulkheads in the units below. A window bench in the secondary bedroom cleverly disguises mechanical and electrical systems that service the east side of the house, while the main bedroom integrates ducting into vacant roof space. On the lower floors, we designed one-bedroom units that enhance the functional aspects of the home’s original footprint through adjusted walls and sliding doors as well as newly conceived kitchens and bathrooms. Notably, we divided the home’s primary stairwell to separately service the main floor and garden suite, integrating code-compliant fire separations along both walls. Reclaimed square footage from this conversion created new spatial opportunities, including a laundry room in the basement and dedicated foyer for the main floor apartment.

Traditional Victorian features were adapted into the redesign, including high baseboards, decorative door casings, curved crown molding, and white oak herringbone flooring. New glazing across the home maximizes natural light and improves energy efficiency, with restored stained glass reinstalled in key spaces, reinforcing a sense of historical provenance. Landscaping improvements at the rear of the home reinvigorate the backyard while the strategic integration of disguised technical infrastructure like air conditioning units and heat pumps around the side perimeter maintain the presentation of the heritage, street-facing exterior. A meaningful contribution to the neighbourhood, Siglo House represents a case study for context-driven urban densification. Our design elevates strategies for the rezoning and reimagination of declining century homes as multi-unit residences, methods which unlock potential and prioritize liveability at every turn.