District Lofts, 388 Richmond St W: architectsAlliance’s Two-Storey Lofts

District Lofts is the building I point to when someone asks what a modern Toronto loft is supposed to look like. Designed by architectsAlliance for Context Development, its U-shaped plan, skip-stop elevator and two-storey through suites were a real experiment in 2001, and the layouts are still unlike anything in the glass towers around it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Architecture first: the U-plan and the skip-stop elevator

Canadian Architect’s write-up of the project credits architectsAlliance, with Peter Clewes leading the team, and describes two residential slabs joined by an elevator tower at the east end to form a U around a central courtyard. Monopitch roofs slope in toward that courtyard, four exterior bridges tie the slabs together at the west end, and a brick screen along Richmond nods to the old warehouse buildings nearby.

The clever part is the skip-stop elevator. Because the elevator does not stop on every floor, many suites can be two-storey units that run right through the building, with one side facing the courtyard and the other the street. That is why District Lofts suites often have a quiet side and a lively side, and why the plans here look nothing like a standard one-bedroom in a tower.

The details reward a close look. The architect’s description mentions stencilled suite numbers in the style of Le Corbusier and extensive glazing set against pre-cast concrete panels. The project was built for about $20 million, which tells you this was a carefully budgeted building, not a lavish one; the design effort went into the plan rather than expensive cladding.

Layouts: through units, studios and two-level penthouses

Ceilings are about ten feet of concrete in most suites, with taller volumes at the penthouse level. The architect’s description lists narrow, deep studios on the lowest residential floor, two-storey through units through the middle, and two-level penthouses at the top. One loft guide describes the penthouses with large terraces, skylights and windows about 18 feet tall.

Suite sizes run from roughly 610 to 2,450 square feet, and the same guide says every suite has some outdoor space, helped by continuous balconies along the north and south faces. One caution: suites on the interior terrace level have large outdoor areas that are not fully private. If privacy matters to you, ask exactly what the terrace adjoins before you fall for its size.

Living in a two-storey suite is a different daily routine. Stairs inside the suite separate the living and sleeping floors, which many owners love for privacy and work-from-home separation. It also means carrying laundry and groceries between levels, and it can rule the suite out for an older buyer later, so be honest with yourself about how long you plan to stay.

How big is it, actually?

Sources disagree on height. Condos.ca lists eight storeys; the architect’s description and a loft guide both say 14, with retail and two levels of parking forming the base and the residences starting on the fourth floor. The difference likely comes from counting only residential floors versus the whole structure, but I would not guess.

The suite count is more settled: the architect and condos.ca both say 146, though one loft guide also gives 148 and 106. For a buyer, the practical answer is in the declaration for TSCC-1435, which you will see with the status certificate.

Richmond Street, just east of Spadina

This is the Fashion District edge of downtown, one block south of Queen West and a short walk north of King West. Richmond is a one-way street with narrow sidewalks, and the building faces it with a hard street wall, so the courtyard side is where you go for calm. The old masonry warehouses around it are the reason the brick screen exists.

Day to day, you are in the thick of downtown: restaurants and nightlife in every direction and the financial district within reach on foot. It is a place for people who want the city at full volume outside and a well-designed interior to retreat into.

The neighbourhood has kept changing around the building. More towers have gone up along Richmond, Adelaide and Spadina since 2001, so views that were open when the building opened may now face new neighbours. Check what is planned on the blocks your suite faces, because a courtyard outlook is protected by the building itself in a way that a street view is not.

Pricing, and why the fee looks high

Condos.ca puts the building’s average at about $849 per square foot, which is modest for an architect-designed loft this central. The two-storey layouts are part of the reason: buyers who want a conventional one-floor suite sometimes discount them, and buyers who want a loft experience value them highly. That split is your opportunity or your risk, depending on which side you sit on.

The fee needs context. It includes common elements, building insurance, water, heat and parking. Parking is the big one: in many newer downtown towers it is a separate monthly charge and heat is on your own meter. When you compare per-square-foot fees with a newer building, add those costs back before deciding District Lofts is expensive.

There is usually very little for sale here at any one time, so I will not quote a single asking price. For what suites have actually traded for, see my building sold report, and compare like with like: a two-storey through unit and a single-level studio are different products.

Building specifications

Amenities at District Lofts

The amenities are practical rather than flashy: a concierge, an exercise room, a party room with a kitchen, a boardroom and a media room. The landscaped courtyard is the real shared space, and it is what makes the quiet side of each through unit quiet.

Jatin’s honest take on District Lofts

District 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.