Named after His Majesty’s castle in Scotland, The Balmoral was built at a time when apartment living was a rarity in Toronto.

Built just before the Great Depression in 1928 to attract potential buyers from detached houses, developers like S.B. Coon and Sons built these apartments as stately and luxurious as possible.

What a grand entrance The Balmoral has. The two-storey white stone arch meets a Tudor like carved gable in the middle. A pendant lantern greets visitors to the H-shaped courtyard, accompanied by a circular driveway wrapped around with stone baluster.

Tall casement bay windows are flanked by an additional pair of three-story stone pillars, with cornices dividing the building above the second floor, while full height rounded stone buttresses anchor the corners of the walls.

Just around the corner, Claridge and Clarendon were built during the same period. They might be elegant like a Parisian flat. In terms of boldness, they don’t come close to The Balmoral, just like the Scottish castle which it is named after.

150 Balmoral Avenue, Toronto