How a 2000s television landmark became one of Unionville’s most talked-about listings

31 Victoria Avenue in Unionville, where the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls was filmed. The WB network filmed the remainder of the show on a set in Hollywood (photo: Century 21 Leading Edge).

Long before Gilmore Girls became a television favourite, before Stars Hollow moved to Hollywood and before generations of viewers came to know Lorelai Gilmore’s front porch, the house at 31 Victoria Ave. in Unionville had already spent more than a century as part of one of Ontario’s best-preserved historic communities.

Today, the 1875 Victorian is on the market for $3.88 million. The home, which last changed hands 25 years ago, appeared as Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel’s fictional house in the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls before production of the 2000s-era comfort show shifted to a Hollywood sound stage for the rest of the series.

The property is being listed by Sylvia Morris of Century 21 Leading Edge Realty Inc. Brokerage, who said remarkably little has changed since cameras rolled in the spring of 2000.

“They’ve left the floors, they’ve left the façade. They’ve updated and upgraded it, but they haven’t changed it,” she said. “It almost looks like when it was on Gilmore Girls.”

The home’s kitchen, which has been renovated and updated with Miele appliances (left) and main living space (right).

Built in 1875, the approximately 2,840-square-foot home overlooks a ravine in the heart of Historic Unionville. Morris said listing it was a privilege.

“There’s nothing else like it in Unionville,” she said. “It’s timeless.”

The current owners bought the home about two years after the pilot episode was filmed, and are selling to relocate. 

More than a television set

While the Gilmore Girls connection is grabbing attention, Morris said the home’s appeal starts with its history.

Original pine floors, multiple fireplaces and the wraparound veranda remain, while renovations have preserved the home’s character. The property also includes a 500-sf detached, commercially-zoned heritage building that once housed the village bakery and is now being used as an office.

Pricing a property like this isn’t as simple as comparing it with neighbouring luxury homes, Morris said. Instead, she relied on a comparative market analysis of other century homes in Unionville, weighing their sale prices against the property’s heritage features, lot and detached commercial building.

“We look at homes that are over 100 years old and what they sold for, and I go from there,” she said.

When the story becomes part of the sale

Morris has sold plenty of historic homes in Unionville. She said none has attracted attention quite like this one.

Since the home hit the market on July 3, media coverage,  including a feature in the Toronto Star, has generated inquiries from well beyond the Greater Toronto Area. One prospective buyer is flying in from Vancouver for a showing, while other calls have come from out of town.

She expects the eventual buyer could be a heritage enthusiast, a family with older children or an investor drawn to the home’s place in television history.

“I think an investor who maybe loved Gilmore Girls may want to buy it and feel like they belong there,” she said.

A village that embraces Stars Hollow

Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as Lorelai and Rory Gilmore in the pilot episode of Gilmore Girls (photo: WB Network).

The house isn’t Unionville’s only connection to the seven-season series, which is set in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Connecticut.

Municipal tourism department Destination Markham promotes a self-guided Gilmore Girls walking tour around Unionville that highlights several locations used in the pilot episode, including sites that doubled as Stars Hollow landmarks such as Luke’s Diner and the town gazebo. A couple of years ago, the town even houses a Gilmore Girls convention-style weekend. 

Unionville has long attracted film and television productions thanks to its well-preserved main street, century homes, independent cafes and restaurants and natural beauty. Morris believes the Gilmore Girls connection is encouraging more people to discover the community.

“I sell a lot of homes,” she said. “I’ve sold a lot of historic homes in Unionville. And I’ve never had this many calls.”

A surprising opportunity 

A screenshot of Sylvia Morris appearing in the movie A Simple Favor (2018).

Unionville’s reputation as a filming destination has given Morris an interesting story of her own.

Location scouts visited her home while searching for filming locations for the 2018 movie A Simple Favor, starring Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively. Although her property was deemed not suitable for filming because the street was too busy, the visit led to an unexpected invitation.

“When the director came to see my house, he said, ‘I see your sign all over the place. We need a real estate agent. Would you like to be in it?'”

She spent a day on set playing exactly that, appearing as a real estate agent hired by Kendrick’s character.

Preserving the past

Morris said homes like 31 Victoria Ave. remain because the local government has chosen to protect them.

A past member of Heritage Markham, which makes recommendations to city council on heritage-related matters, she said designated properties are subject to limits regarding exterior changes. Replacing windows, changing roofing materials or even repainting a front door requires approval, and homeowners are expected to use historically appropriate colours. Interior renovations, meanwhile, are unrestricted.

Without those rules, she believes many of Unionville’s landmark homes would have been lost to redevelopment.

“The city protects heritage,” she said. “If not, every builder in town would be knocking them down if they had the chance.”

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