Earl Lofts, 21 Earl St: Small Aykler Lofts on a Quiet Jarvis Side Street

Earl Lofts is one of the cheapest ways I know to own a loft-style suite this close to Yonge and Wellesley. It is a three-storey brick building from 2004 by the Aykler family, the same people behind Steam Plant Lofts around the corner, with studios from about 323 square feet and some two-level suites with very tall living rooms. The price of entry is low; the fee per square foot is not, and that is the number to understand before you buy. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Built during the Wellesley hospital redevelopment

Earl Lofts went up in 2004, while the former Wellesley Central Hospital lands around it were being sold off and redeveloped. The Aykler family built it, and a couple of years later started converting the hospital’s old steam plant on Wellesley Place into Steam Plant Lofts, a short walk away.

One account of that period, quoted on UrbanToronto from the Globe and Mail, describes Aykler’s earlier Earl Street project as a row of townhouses next door to the steam plant. condos.ca instead lists Earl Lofts as a 58-suite, three-storey building of lofts, and listings describe apartment-style suites. Earl Street also has separate townhouse condominiums, so the description may refer to a different project; confirm the building’s form and your suite’s layout from the condominium plan.

The building is brick on the outside, low and residential in scale, and fits a street of houses and small buildings rather than towers.

Studios to two-level lofts

Suite sizes run from about 323 to 921 square feet, so the building has a wide range: true studios at the bottom and suites approaching 1,000 square feet at the top. Active listings at the time of writing included a studio, a one-bedroom-plus-den and a one-bedroom.

Some suites are two-level lofts. One recent rental listing described a main-floor living and dining area with a ceiling of about 17 feet, and an upper loft level with the primary bedroom and a sitting area. That is genuine volume in a small footprint, and it is the reason to look at Earl Lofts rather than a standard studio in a tower.

Not every suite is like that. A 323-square-foot studio is a single room, and in a three-storey building the ceiling height depends on which floor you are on and whether the suite runs over two levels. Ask for the floor plan and visit in person.

If you are choosing between a single-level studio and a two-level loft here, I would usually lean to the loft. The extra volume is what makes a small suite feel like a home rather than a room, and it is the feature the next buyer will be paying for too.

Earl Street day to day

Earl Street is a quiet residential street between Jarvis and Sherbourne, which is the building’s daily advantage. You are a few minutes’ walk from Wellesley Street East and Jarvis, yet you are not living on an arterial road.

The immediate neighbours come from the same redevelopment period: Steam Plant Lofts, The Verve’s tower and loft block on Homewood and Wellesley, and the townhouses along Earl Street. Walk west for the Church-Wellesley Village and Yonge; walk east for St. James Town and Cabbagetown. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

Like most small side-street buildings, there is little retail on the block itself, so groceries and errands mean a short walk to Wellesley, Church or Parliament.

A small building with a few shared spaces

For a low-rise building, Earl Lofts has a reasonable set of shared spaces: a rooftop deck, a party room and a meeting room, plus a parking garage with visitor parking and a security system. There is no gym, pool or concierge.

Parking is not in the fee, and at least one recent listing showed no garage space, so do not assume a suite comes with one. Confirm parking and any locker in the status certificate. If you drive, settle this before you firm up, because buying a space later in a small garage depends on another owner being willing to sell.

Low entry price, high fee per square foot

condos.ca puts the building average at about $953 per square foot. Because the suites are small, total prices are low for downtown: the three suites listed for sale at the time of writing asked from about $395,000 to $540,000, covering.

The fee is the catch. Across those active listings, fees worked out to about $1.19 per square foot, with monthly fees ranging from roughly $390 to $890. That is high for a building that includes only common elements, building insurance and water; heat, hydro and parking are on you. Small suites always look expensive per square foot, but the spread between listings also tells you fees are not uniform, so check the exact fee for any suite you consider.

A simple way to compare: add your expected hydro and heating costs, plus a parking space if you need one, to the monthly fee here, then do the same for a newer building that bundles more. The cheaper purchase price only wins if the total monthly cost still works for your budget.

One suite was listed for rent at the time of writing. For aggregate recent sales and leases, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Earl Lofts

The rooftop deck is the amenity that matters most in a building of small suites, because it gives you outdoor space many units lack. The party and meeting rooms are useful extras, and the absence of a gym, pool and concierge keeps shared costs simpler.

Jatin’s honest take on Earl Lofts

Earl 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.