• 24 Allen Avenue
• Asking price: $419,000
• Selling price: $419,100
• Previous selling prices: $321,000 (2006); $285,000 (2002
• Taxes: $2,310 (2008)
• Lot size: 14 by 75 feet
• Days on the market: 13
• Listing agent: Julie Kinnear, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd.

In south Riverdale, there are few properties like this three-bedroom residence, agent Julie Kinnear says.

It is one of three two-storey row townhouses within a converted fire hall - built in 1890 - that retains its Victorian brick façade and ceiling more than 11 feet tall in some areas.

"Twenty-four Allen was pretty cool," Ms. Kinnear says. "It had these really dramatically high ceilings on the main and second floor, which is unusual."

The 1,378-square-foot unit is modern inside with updated wiring, five-year-old furnace and remodelled bathroom upstairs.

Earlier this year, the 689-square-foot basement was finished with a recreation room wired for media, a workshop with built-in shelving and a sitting area with laundry facilities, plus a powder room.

"Victorians don't always have full basements, so that was a good feature," Ms. Kinnear adds.

The main floor has hardwood floors, an open living room, dining room and sitting area and an eat-in kitchen. "The kitchen was not renovated, but it showed well," the agent says.

Upstairs, a skylit landing leads to the bedrooms, including a master suite with cathedral ceilings and a built-in closet.

Outside, there is a new cedar deck off the kitchen, retaining walls, automated lighting and coated concrete slab around the pond. "They did a really nice job of making the most of a really small backyard," Ms. Kinnear says.

There is no front yard or private driveway, but there is permit parking on the quiet street.

Ms. Kinnear adds that most residents in the area are environmentally friendly, opting to walk to public transit, parks, supermarkets and shops nearby.