Kingsgate Motors, 2504-2512 Bloor St W: 14 House-Style Condos on Bloor

Kingsgate Motors is one of the smallest and oddest condominiums on Bloor Street West, and I mean that as a compliment. It is 14 suites over three storeys, registered in 1976, with no elevator, no concierge and no amenity list to speak of, just house-style suites on the edge of Bloor West Village. It is not for everyone, and almost nothing ever comes up for sale. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

What this building actually is

Even the basic description depends on who you ask. Condos.ca describes Kingsgate Motors as a group of older brown-brick houses renovated into condominium suites. Strata.ca files it under the name Kingsgate Motors Townhomes. Both agree on the essentials: three storeys, 14 suites, completed or registered in 1976, with layouts of up to two bedrooms.

The address range, 2504 to 2512, covers five street numbers, which fits the idea of a short row of buildings joined into one corporation rather than a single block. If the houses-converted description is right, the original structures are older than the 1976 registration date. I have not found a primary source that dates them, so treat the age of the walls, as opposed to the corporation, as unknown until you see the status certificate and any building reports.

The name is another loose end. A builder called Kingsgate Motors is an unusual name for a residential developer, and it may reflect a former business connected to the site. I could not confirm the history, so I am not going to guess at it.

Living in a house-style condo

The suites read like apartments in a house rather than condo units in a tower. Condos.ca describes original house layouts, hardwood floors, large living room windows, renovated kitchens with stone counters in some suites and wood-burning fireplaces in others. Every suite is different, which means every suite has to be judged on its own floor plan.

There is no elevator. On three storeys, that means stairs to the upper suites every day, with groceries, strollers and furniture. For a young couple that may be fine; for a downsizer planning to stay twenty years it is a serious question. There is also no lobby, no gym and no party room. What you get, according to condos.ca, is parking in a garage at the rear, storage lockers, visitor parking and permission to barbecue.

The rear garage backs onto a small park with a swing set and a playing field, which is a nice touch for a building on a main street. Ask which suite has which garage space and locker, because in a corporation this small those details are often specific and occasionally unusual.

A 14-owner corporation from 1976

This is the part that matters most. YCC-254 is a York Condominium Corporation, one of the older condo registrations in the city, and it has only 14 owners. Every roof, every masonry repair, every boiler and every window program is shared among those 14. There is no 200-suite base to spread a large bill across.

In a building like this, the reserve fund study, the latest budget and the board minutes are not paperwork, they are the purchase decision. You want to know when the roof and windows were last done, what the heating system is and how old it is, and whether the corporation has had to levy owners for any past project. I have no information on special assessments here, so do not assume there have or have not been any; read the status certificate.

Small, older corporations can be run very well by engaged owners, and the fee that includes heat and water suggests a shared heating system. Ask how that system is maintained and who decides on replacement.

The Bloor and Humber end of the village

The building sits on the north side of Bloor at the far west end of Bloor West Village, close to the Humber valley and almost opposite The Brule, a five-storey boutique condo on the south side. That puts the village’s shops and restaurants within a walk, and the Humber trails and marshes close by for anyone who wants green space every day.

Bloor is a busy street, and front-facing suites will hear it. A suite at the back, facing the garage and the park, is a very different daily experience. The transit, school and park details are in the data panel on this page.

Pricing: almost no data, so be careful

There were no suites for sale or for rent when I checked, and neither condos.ca nor strata.ca publishes a price per square foot for this building. With 14 suites, a year can pass with no sales at all, which means there is no building average to lean on.

In that situation, I price a suite by looking at comparable small-building and house-style condo sales across the Bloor West Village and Swansea area, then adjusting for the things that are unique here: no elevator, the age of the building, the size of the corporation and the fact that heat and water are included. The Brule across the street, at about $959 per square foot on condos.ca, is a reference point, but it is a newer elevator building with larger suites, so it is a ceiling rather than a direct comparable.

Lenders can also be more cautious with very small, older corporations, so speak to your mortgage broker early. For any recorded trades in the building, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Kingsgate Motors Condos

There are no shared amenities in the usual sense, just parking at the rear, storage lockers, visitor parking and barbecues allowed. The fee goes to keeping the building running, not to staffing a lobby or running a gym.

Jatin’s honest take on Kingsgate Motors Condos

Kingsgate Motors Condos — frequently asked questions

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