Frederick House, 159 Frederick St: 16 Large Suites Near St. Lawrence Market

Frederick House is the kind of building most people never notice, and the people who live there seem to prefer it that way. Sixteen suites, two to a floor, on a quiet street east of St. Lawrence Market, with layouts closer to a house than a condo. When one comes up, you are buying something that does not really have a comparable downtown. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two suites per floor, and why that matters

The defining fact about Frederick House is its scale. condos.ca records 16 suites over eight storeys, and Toronto Life described the building as having two suites per floor. That means each suite gets two or three exposures, a short private corridor, and almost no neighbours to share an elevator with.

It also means the suites are big. One suite featured by Toronto Life had about 2,740 square feet with three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a den, a living room roughly 30 feet long, nine-foot ceilings, a fireplace, and five separate balconies. Not every suite will be that large, but that tells you what this building was designed for: people moving from a house who still want room.

I could not find the architect or original developer in public sources; condos.ca does not list one. If that matters to you, the original declaration and plans in the corporation’s records will name them.

Condition varies, as it does in any building where owners have lived for decades. The suite Toronto Life featured had a redesigned kitchen with an island and new flooring, while the main ensuite was noted as dated. Expect a mix of renovated and original rooms, and price the renovation into your offer.

The same suite came with one parking space and one locker. With parking included in the fee here, confirm the number of spaces attached to any suite you look at, since a large suite with a single space may not suit a two-car household.

A quiet street in the St. Lawrence neighbourhood

Frederick Street is a short residential street south of King, between Jarvis and Sherbourne. You are a few minutes’ walk from St. Lawrence Market, the Front Street restaurants, the St. Lawrence Centre and Berczy Park, and an easy walk to the financial district.

This is one of the most established residential pockets downtown, with the 1970s and 1980s St. Lawrence neighbourhood housing around it and mature trees on the side streets. It is quieter than the King and Front corridors themselves.

The area east of here is changing. Metrolinx is building the Ontario Line through the neighbourhood, with Corktown Station at King and Berkeley and Moss Park Station near Queen and Sherbourne, and construction will be part of local life for several years. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

For a downsizer, the walkability is the point. Groceries, the market, restaurants, theatre and doctors’ offices are all close enough to reach on foot, which is what makes giving up a house and a car realistic for many buyers who look here.

Boutique living, boutique governance

With 16 owners, the corporation is closer to a co-ownership than a typical condo. Decisions get made by people you will know by name, and the building tends to be quiet and well kept when the owners are engaged.

The flip side is that every major repair is shared by very few people. A roof, a garage membrane, an elevator modernization or a window program in a 1993 building can mean a large cheque per suite if the reserve fund is not where it should be. That is the single most important thing to understand before you buy here.

A concierge in a 16-suite building is also unusual, and staff costs in a corporation this small are shared by very few owners. Ask how the concierge is scheduled and what it costs the corporation each year, because it is one of the larger items in a small building’s budget.

Pricing a building that almost never trades

With 16 suites, Frederick House sees only a handful of sales over a period of years, and condos.ca does not publish a reliable building average per square foot. There was one suite for sale at the time of writing, which is not enough to describe a price range, so I will not quote it.

When I price a suite here, I look at the building’s own sales history over several years, large suites in other St. Lawrence buildings, and freehold townhouses nearby, because that is what buyers of 2,000-plus square foot suites are really choosing between. Expect large suites here to trade at a lower price per square foot than small new-build units, simply because big suites always do.

Monthly fees are significant in dollar terms because the suites are large, but they include parking as well as common elements, building insurance and water. Heat and hydro are not listed as included. For aggregate recent trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Frederick House

There is no gym, pool or party room here, and that is part of the appeal. You are paying for a large private suite, a concierge and a quiet building rather than for shared spaces you might not use. Barbecues are permitted, which makes the balconies more useful in summer.

Jatin’s honest take on Frederick House

Frederick House — 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.