Historic Toronto church converted into two stunning $10 million modern homes
Toronto has a long tradition of turning old churches into condos, co-working spaces, lofts, and Anthropologie stores.
But 722 Lansdowne Ave. did something a bit different when it comes to the old St. Dunstan's Anglican Church.
Although calling it a "church" is actually a bit misleading. St Dunstan's was never a fully realized church in the traditional sense.
The open-concept living, dining and kitchen in one of the semi-detached homes.
According to one Toronto priest who wrote a blog called Lost Anglican Churches, when the parish was established in the early 1920s, the congregation could only afford to build the basement — with plans to someday finish the sanctuary above.
A primary bedroom.
That day never came.
The living room which opens to an interior courtyard.
The "temporary" structure became permanent, and the church operated for decades as a basement church with a false front, seating about 250 people.
The front entrance to one of the homes.
By the 1950s, attendance declined, plans stalled, and in 1982, the parish was officially disestablished.
Another primary bedroom.
A year later, the building found new life as the Gandhi Bhawan Hindu Temple, serving a completely different community while retaining the same modest physical footprint.
Built-in seating creates a minimalist and sleek feel to the space.
Fast-forward to the early 2020s, when the City of Toronto approved a change of use from place of worship to residential, and the Junction property sold for $2,800,000.
Skylights add tons of natural light to the spaces.
Then, enter award-winning architecture firm StudioAC, which saw not a limitation, but an opportunity.
A bedroom that looks onto an interior courtyard.
Instead of forcing the building to become something it never was, they leaned into its history — transforming an unfinished church into a pair of serene semi-detached homes.
The dining area in one of the homes.
The result is about 5,000 square feet of calm, architectural confidence that somehow feels both monastic and deeply livable.
A view of the rooftop.
From the street, the building already signals that this isn't your average Toronto church conversion.
An aerial view of both homes.
A bold double-gable roofline and pale Maibec wood siding give the former church a contemporary edge, while still nodding to its churchly bones.
A gym space that walks-out to a rooftop patio.
Step inside and the drama softens into something more meditative.
An urban garden off a bathroom.
Double-height atriums, light wells, interior courtyards, bedroom terraces, and a rooftop urban garden that feels wildly peaceful for something this close to Bloor St.
A seating area flows into the staircase.
The interiors lean hard into restraint, and it works.
A primary ensuite bathroom.
Limewashed walls, microcement floors, and solid white oak millwork create a tactile, monochromatic palette that lets light and texture do the talking.
Original bricks from the church in the hallway.
Original brickwork and exposed rafters quietly reference the building's layered history, while modern stone surfaces and meticulous detailing ground it firmly in the present.
A primary ensuite bathroom.
Across the two residences, there are six bedrooms, five bathrooms, and realtor Katherine Bates Reashore notes that the layout's flexible enough for multigenerational living, co-ownership, or a live-together-apart situation.
The living room in the other house.
In short, StudioAC took what was once forgotten place of worship and proved that working with the city's past, not bulldozing it, can create an incredibly interesting and beautiful homes.
A view of the back of the property.
Both homes at 722 Lansdowne Ave. are listed for $9,750,000, or you can rent one of the houses for $14,000 a month.
