Michael Peart Photography
25 Ritchie Ave., unit 510, Toronto
Asking price: $2,198,000
Taxes: $6,673.65 (2024)
Monthly maintenance fee: $1,756.60
Agent: Christopher Bibby, Re/Max Hallmark Bibby Group Realty
The backstory
Kenneth Montague practices and teaches dentistry in Toronto, but in the cultural community, he’s better known as a patron of the arts.
Currently Dr. Montague is a member of the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Board of Trustees and founding director of Wedge Curatorial Projects, where he is especially passionate about supporting artists who focus on Black identity and African diasporic culture.
In 2006, he was already well-established as a collector and curator, so a friend in real estate soon thought of Dr. Montague when she learned that Guyanese-Canadian architect David Anand Peterson had signed on to design a new project in the city’s west end.
“I have a long history myself of working with emerging Black architects and artists,” says Dr. Montague.
He credits his own Jamaican-immigrant parents with inspiring his love for music, art and lifting others in the community.
He arranged to meet with Mr. Peterson to learn more about his vision for the modernist mid-rise building on an industrial site just south of the junction of Dundas Street West and Roncesvalles Avenue.
Home of the Week, 25 Ritchie Ave., unit 510, TorontoJohn Cullen/John Cullen
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The six-storey building would be arranged around a central courtyard as a way to encourage neighbours to mingle. Sustainable design choices would include landscape, bicycle parking and open-air walkways on the exterior.
As the architect explained to Dr. Montague, “you fiddle with your key, whether it’s a sunny day or a snowstorm.”
“It really appealed on paper. There’s nothing like it in Toronto,” Dr. Montague says, “and I was one of the first people to see it.”
He chose a two-storey penthouse and hired Mr. Peterson to design an interior that would serve as a backdrop for his photography, paintings and sculpture.
“I was still single,” he says. “It was my making the decision to buy this space as a bachelor art collector.”
The house today
The door of the unit opens to the lower level, and a space illuminated by a lightwell that cuts through the upper floor. The first decision was to place the bedrooms below and the living space above.
“That’s a move David Peterson made,” Dr. Montague says of the flip. “It was a really smart first gesture that really changed everything.”
That way guests do not pass the private spaces as they walk straight up the stairs to the lounging area inside or the outdoor space.
Dr. Montague and Mr. Peterson agreed the architect would harmonize the colour on the exterior of the building with the interior of the 1,950-square-foot suite.
A vibrant green covers a wall next to the stairs and reappears in the tiles in the kitchen and bathrooms.
“There’s a real continuity,” Dr. Montague says of the project, which was completed in 2010.
For the kitchen, where guests often gather during parties, Dr. Montague chose an industrial-looking stainless-steel island from Bulthaup.
On the lower level, the primary bedroom is set just off of the lightwell.
Dr. Montague needed to maximize space for his collection of books on art and design – and many other subjects of interest – so one of the bedrooms became a purpose-built library and a second wall of bookshelves was created on the upper level.
The unit’s balcony overlooks the courtyard, and the penthouse also has special access to a portion of the rooftop that houses some of the practical elements of the multiunit dwelling.
The rooftop space includes the top of an elevator housing, so Mr. Peterson came up with a scheme to camouflage that element behind a Canadiana log cabin façade. There’s an outdoor kitchen at one end and a sauna at the other.
“It’s a beautiful outdoor sauna,” says Dr. Montague. “You pour the water on the stones. I’m a dentist, so I’ve got chronic lower back pain.”
The rooftop has been the setting for opening receptions, arts fundraisers and casual fetes.
“A lot of parties happened out there,” says Dr. Montague.
In 2013, the bachelor art collector married artist and arts educator Sarah Aranha, who is a member of the board of directors for the Toronto Biennial of Art.
The loft suited the couple, who met in the art world, Mr. Montague says, but another change came when they started a family. Today they are the parents of two sons.
The library became a bedroom for the boys and Mr. Montague moved his desk into the guest room.
The built-in Murphy bed in that room can be opened for guests or folded away to create more space.
Ms. Aranha took over the library for her home office.
Outside, the communal courtyard envisioned by the architect has become a protected space where families can gather.
“That forced communal living is unusual for Toronto,” says Dr. Montague. “It was a social experiment David created.”
It was also a well-used amenity when the couple’s elder son was old enough to run down on his own to play outdoors with friends.
“It was a great thing with home schooling,” Dr. Montague says. “That was a lifesaver during the pandemic.”
During Dr. Montague’s tenure on Ritchie Avenue, he spent time at the many galleries and studios in the area. The Museum of Contemporary Art opened in its permanent home in the Junction Triangle in 2018.
“It’s a nice kind of art pedigree,” he says. “The neighbourhood has really evolved.”
As his kids grew, Dr. Montague also became more familiar with the area’s many parks – including High Park – and nearby schools. The location provides quick access to the subway and streetcars.
“All of those things became more valuable to me as a parent.”
The best feature
The loft will appeal to people who value design and art, Dr. Montague says, adding that high ceilings on the upper level create many places to put large canvases, photographs or objets trouvés.
“It’s a place full of walls that are ready for showing off your china – or salt and pepper shaker collection – which I also have,” he says of the items he has been assembling for decades.
“It showcases my art collection in a unique way.”