Glas Lofts, 25 Oxley St: The architectsAlliance Loft With a Car Lift

Glas Lofts at 25 Oxley Street is the building I suggest to buyers who care more about design and location than about a long amenity list. Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance gave it an industrial, warehouse-inspired look, Lamb Development finished it in 2009, and it parks cars with a lift rather than a ramp. It is a building with real character and a few quirks you should understand before you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An architectsAlliance building that wears the old Fashion District

Glas was designed by Peter Clewes and his team at architectsAlliance, one of Toronto’s most respected firms. The brief, as the Globe and Mail described it, was an industrial look that recalls the warehouses that once defined the Fashion District. At street level the base is clad in black brick with stainless steel doors, which ties it to its older neighbours better than a plain glass podium would.

Above the base, the building is mostly glass. Suites have continuous floor-to-ceiling windows opening onto balconies or terraces, with exposed concrete inside. It is a soft loft: loft materials and volumes in a modern concrete building, not a converted factory.

The name, with its umlaut, is the clearest clue to the design. Glass is the point of this building, and it is what you are paying for.

Townhomes, studios, flats and two-level penthouses

Few buildings this size offer as many formats. At the base are two-storey townhome-style units with their own street-level entrances; Harhay’s project page describes two-bedroom townhouses with attached private parking. Above them are compact studios, standard condo flats and, at the top, two-level penthouses with large terraces.

Sizes run from about 409 to 1,891 square feet. The small end includes boutique studio units that suit investors and pied-à-terre buyers; the large end is mostly townhomes and penthouses. Sources disagree on penthouse ceiling heights: the Globe described a penthouse with ceilings of up to 11 feet, while a loft guide quotes 9 to 20 feet across penthouse plans. Measure the specific suite rather than relying on either.

Because surrounding buildings are close, many suites look across at other towers rather than out over the city. The views improve on the upper floors and in the penthouses.

The townhomes deserve special mention. A downtown townhouse with its own street door and attached parking is rare at any price, and it gives you a ground-oriented home with the services of a condo building behind it. They come up for sale less often than the flats, so if that format is what you want, be ready to move when one lists.

The car lift, and what it means day to day

Glas does not have a conventional parking ramp. A car lift takes vehicles through a gated side opening down to the underground garage. It is an efficient use of a tight downtown site, and one resident review describes it as less inconvenient than it sounds, though not fast.

In practice, the lift suits people who drive a few times a week, not someone heading out and back several times a day. Before you buy a suite with parking, ask how often the lift has been out of service, what its maintenance contract costs, and what the reserve fund has set aside for replacing it. Mechanical parking is a cost most buildings do not carry.

Living on Oxley Street

Oxley is a short side street off Spadina, just north of King. You are in the middle of the King West restaurant and nightlife district, with streetcars on both King and Spadina close by. Most residents walk or bike, according to the Globe’s reporting on the building. The data panel on this page covers transit and walkability in detail.

The flip side of being this central is that the area is busy, and new towers keep going up around King and Spadina. If a view or afternoon sun matters to you, check what has been approved or proposed on nearby lots.

Daily life here is built around walking. Groceries, coffee, gyms and restaurants are all on foot, and the financial core is a reasonable walk east along King Street West. That is part of why the modest amenity list matters less at Glas than it would in a suburban tower, where the building has to supply what the street does not.

Pricing and fees at Glas Lofts

The building averages about $977 per square foot, the highest of the three King West soft lofts I cover in this pocket, ahead of Quad Lofts at roughly $950 and 75 Portland at roughly $845. You are paying for the architect, the location and the formats.

The fee covers common elements, air conditioning, building insurance and water. Heat and parking are not on the inclusion list, so confirm how heating is billed and whether parking carries its own charge before you compare fees with buildings that bundle them. The modest amenity package is part of why fees here are kept down.

There was only one active resale listing at the time I wrote this, too few to give a meaningful asking range. For what suites have actually sold for, see the aggregate sales data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Glas Lofts

The amenity list is deliberately short: a concierge, a party room, a meeting room and guest suites, with two fibre internet options. If you want a pool or a big gym inside the building, this is not it, but the trade is lower fees and a neighbourhood full of gyms and studios.

Jatin’s honest take on Glas Lofts

Glas Lofts — frequently asked questions

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