Brewery Lofts, 90 Sumach St: Concrete Hard Lofts With Hydro in the Fee

Brewery Lofts is the east-end hard loft that other loft buildings get measured against. It is a concrete former CBC warehouse on Sumach Street, converted by Sorbara in the late 1990s into 109 suites with 14-foot ceilings and mushroom columns, and it carries the highest price per square foot of the older lofts around it. The question is whether the premium is earned. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Not actually a brewery

The name is borrowed. The Dominion Brewery complex on Queen East, with buildings dating back to 1878, surrounds this site, and the developer bought into that complex, so the loft took the brewery’s name. The building at 90 Sumach itself is reported to have been put up in 1956 as a warehouse.

Before the conversion it was a CBC design and production hub, used at different times for rehearsal and studio space, archives and prop storage. Sorbara converted it into live/work lofts in the late 1990s, and the corporation was registered in March 1999.

That 1950s concrete frame is what gives the building its character. Instead of timber beams and brick, you get poured concrete, polished concrete floors and the flared mushroom columns typical of mid-century industrial construction.

Fourteen-foot ceilings and deep, open plans

Ceilings are about 14 feet, and suites are single-level and open in plan. Many owners have added raised sleeping platforms or reworked the layout entirely, so suites with the same footprint can live very differently.

The size range is unusually wide, from about 738 sq ft to nearly 3,700 sq ft, which means the building holds everything from a compact one-bedroom loft to a suite larger than most houses. The lobby and hallways are wide, a legacy of the building’s working past.

The weakness is light. Warehouse floor plates are deep, and many suites get daylight from one end only, so the back of the suite can be dim. Outdoor space is limited too: some suites have none, and the balconies that exist are narrow. Visit in daylight and stand at the back of the suite before you decide.

Because the floor plates are open and the structure is concrete, renovations here are easier than in timber lofts in some ways and harder in others. Moving walls is simple; moving plumbing and ductwork through a concrete slab is not. Check what the corporation allows before you plan a major change.

A fee that covers almost everything

The fee here includes common elements, heat, hydro, water, air conditioning, building insurance and parking. Hydro and air conditioning inclusion is uncommon, and in a suite with 14-foot ceilings that is worth more than it would be in a standard condo.

That makes the monthly figure look heavy next to a newer building where you pay hydro and parking separately. Do the comparison on a like-for-like basis, and ask for the current budget and how utility costs have tracked, since owners share them collectively.

Amenities are practical rather than flashy: a roof garden with a west-facing skyline view and gas barbecues, an amenity room used for events and group fitness, a meeting room, visitor parking and a parking garage. DASH’s building page also describes a fenced dog run near the garage entrance.

Bundled utilities have one more consequence worth thinking about. Owners who leave the air conditioning running all summer are paid for by everyone, so the building’s energy budget, and any plans to sub-meter in future, are fair questions to put to management.

Sumach Street, between Corktown and Regent Park

The building sits a short walk north of Queen Street East. To the north and west is Regent Park, where the long revitalization has added new towers, an aquatic centre, a large park and new retail. To the south are Corktown, the West Don Lands, Corktown Common and the Distillery District.

Queen East around Sumach and River has cafés, restaurants and a few long-running neighbourhood businesses, and the Don River trails are a few minutes east. The data panel on this page has the exact transit, school and park details.

Regent Park’s new community facilities, including the aquatic centre and the large central park, have become part of daily life for many residents here, and they make up for the building’s lack of a pool or gym.

The area has changed a lot since this building opened, and it is still changing. Check what is proposed on nearby lots, especially if you are buying a suite whose only light comes from one exposure.

The premium, and what it buys

The building average is about $1,050 per square foot. That is well above most of the older hard lofts nearby, such as Imperial Lofts on Sherbourne at around $740 and the Knitting Mill on Queen East at around $930.

Part of that premium is the building itself: the concrete construction, the ceiling height, the scale of the lobby and halls, and its reputation among loft buyers. Part of it is the fee, which removes hydro, heat and parking from your monthly budget.

With 109 suites, there is usually something on the market, but rarely much. There is one suite listed for sale right now, so I would not draw conclusions from its asking price. For recent sold and leased figures, see the data panel or my building sold report.

When I price a suite here, the biggest variables are exposure and natural light, outdoor space and the quality of the renovation, more than the floor.

Building specifications

Amenities at Brewery Lofts

The roof garden is the amenity residents use most, especially for the west view toward the skyline. There is no pool or full gym, so plan on a membership nearby or the Regent Park Aquatic Centre.

Jatin’s honest take on Brewery Lofts

Brewery Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.