1 Columbus Lofts, 1 Columbus Ave: Ten Big Lofts in a Baseball Glove Factory

1 Columbus is the loft building I mention when a buyer wants the space of a house but the character of a factory. There are only ten suites in this former Rawlings baseball glove factory at Columbus and Sorauren, and they are big, roughly 1,300 to 2,300 square feet, with some served by private elevators. You will rarely see one for sale, and when you do, it behaves more like a house sale than a condo sale. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A glove factory, converted before lofts were fashionable

Press coverage in both Toronto Life and The Globe and Mail describes the building as the former factory where workers stitched baseball gloves for Rawlings. One building profile calls it a former leather factory, which is consistent with glove-making; the original red-brick structure is reported to date from 1902.

The conversion was led by Jackson Goad Architects. Toronto Life places it just before 2000, but the condominium corporation, MTCC-1142, was registered in March 1997, which makes this one of the earlier hard loft conversions in the west end. Condos.ca lists the architects as the developer as well.

From the outside it is a plain red-brick factory with three-panel warehouse windows, sitting on a residential corner. Inside, sources describe exposed brick and stone walls, wood and steel beams, exposed ducts, and polished concrete or hardwood floors.

House-sized suites, private elevators and garages

The suite sizes are what set this building apart. Condos.ca shows roughly 1,310 to 2,280 sq ft, and another profile gives a similar range. With ten suites, each one is essentially unique, and layouts are open plan with one or two bedrooms, some with a den.

Several sources describe private elevators opening directly into some suites, and one notes that the old freight elevator shaft was reworked to give a number of suites balconies. Another profile reports that many suites have a private ground-floor garage, and that some have private rooftop terraces or gas fireplaces. Treat each of those as a suite-by-suite feature, not a building standard.

Ceilings are reported at about 10 feet, which is lower than many hard lofts. The volume here comes from floor area rather than height. If you are comparing it with a two-storey loft with 18-foot ceilings, you are comparing different kinds of space.

Finishes vary too. One profile describes Scavolini kitchens, stone counters and marble bathrooms with soaker tubs, but after nearly three decades many suites have been renovated by their owners, some more carefully than others. Judge each suite on its own condition rather than on the original specification.

The storey count does not agree, and why that matters little

Condos.ca and Toronto Life say four storeys. One loft directory says five, and another building profile says six, with twelve units rather than ten. My reading is that some suites span more than one level and the roofline includes terrace structures, so different sources count differently. The condo corporation’s declaration is the place to settle it.

What does matter is that a ten-suite corporation is closer to a small co-owned building than a typical condo. Board decisions are made by a handful of neighbours, and every repair is shared by ten owners.

A small board can work very well when owners get along and plan ahead, and it can stall when they do not. Before you buy, I would want to see that the corporation has a current reserve fund study, a manager who answers questions quickly, and minutes showing decisions actually get made.

Sorauren on the doorstep, and a big project coming

The building sits at a quiet corner near Sorauren Avenue Park, with Roncesvalles Avenue a short walk west and Dundas West close by. The transit and walkability scores are in the data panel on this page.

The biggest change nearby is the city’s planned Wabash Community Recreation Centre at the southeast corner of Sorauren Park, which will reuse the 1910 Canadian Linseed Oil Mills building and add a 25-metre pool and a double gym. The city’s page shows construction running from 2026 to 2030, subject to change. That is several years of construction activity near the park, followed by a major neighbourhood facility.

Pricing: low per foot, high per suite

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $689 per square foot. That looks low next to small west-end lofts trading well above $1,000 per foot, but it is what happens with suites of 1,300 to 2,300 sq ft: per-foot figures fall as size rises, so the total price per suite is high even when the per-foot figure is modest.

There is almost no recent trading to work from. One profile records no sales or leases in the past 12 months and an average ownership period of about six years, and there were no active listings on condos.ca when I checked. With ten suites, the building average can rest on very few trades and should be treated as a rough guide.

Fees cover common elements, building insurance and water. Hydro and heat are on you, and with suites this large, heating and cooling costs are real, so ask the seller for twelve months of utility bills. For the building’s recorded trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 1 Columbus Lofts

There are essentially no shared amenities beyond an elevator and security, so you are not paying to run a gym or a party room. Some suites have private elevators, garages or terraces, which matter far more here than any common facility would.

Jatin’s honest take on 1 Columbus Lofts

1 Columbus Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Roncesvalles more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.