Liberties III, 44 Gerrard St W: Pool, All-In Fees, Bay and Gerrard

Liberties III is what Bay and Gerrard looked like before the 70-storey towers arrived. It is an 18-storey H&R Developments building from 1990, one of three linked Liberties towers, with an indoor pool and a fee that covers hydro, heat, air conditioning and cable. Around it, the corner has grown up fast, and that changes both the views and the value question. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of three Liberties towers

The Liberties is a complex rather than a single building. Liberties I and II front Bay Street at 711 and 717 Bay, and Liberties III sits behind them on Gerrard Street West. Each has its own corporation and its own budget, so when you read about the Liberties online, make sure the figures you are looking at belong to 44 Gerrard and MTCC-907, not to the Bay Street towers.

H&R Developments built it in 1990, at a time when the Bay and Gerrard area was a mix of mid-rise apartments, hospital buildings and surface parking. The building has the solid, practical character of that era: concrete construction, a modest height, and floor plans laid out for people who were actually going to live in them.

That practicality is visible in the suite range. Condos.ca puts suites at about 504 to 1,463 square feet, which runs larger at the top end than most new towers on this corridor will ever offer.

In practice, the smaller suites are compact plans; the one listed for sale when I checked was a one-bedroom-plus-den under 600 square feet. The top of the range reaches sizes that have nearly disappeared from new downtown construction. Many suites have been renovated over the years, and some have not, so expect a wide spread in kitchens, bathrooms and flooring from one listing to the next. Price the condition, not just the square footage.

The corner grew up around it

When UrbanToronto reported the first plans for a tower on the parking lot across Gerrard Street in 2011, the writer noted that Liberties owners would soon be hemmed in by much larger buildings. That is what happened. The site became The Livmore, a 43-storey rental tower that was finished in 2018, and Aura at College Park rose to 78 storeys a block to the east at Yonge and Gerrard.

Just to the west, the 700 Bay expansion added six levels on top of the existing 25-storey building and a 32-storey addition at its west end. Bay and Gerrard is now a cluster of towers, and Liberties III is one of the lower buildings in it.

What that means for you depends on the suite. Some views that existed in 1990 are gone, and lower floors look at neighbouring walls. On the other hand, you are now surrounded by the shops, groceries and services that came with all that density, and the building itself is not going anywhere.

What the all-inclusive fee covers

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, cable TV, building insurance and water as included. That is close to the full list. In a newer building on this corridor, hydro, heating and cooling would be on your own meter, and cable or internet would be your own contract.

The trade-off with bulk metering is that energy costs are shared across all 172 suites, so heavy users and light users pay through the same budget. Ask how the utility line has moved in recent budgets, and whether the board has considered sub-metering.

Parking is listed as a garage amenity, but condos.ca does not show it as included in the fee. Confirm whether the suite you want comes with a space and a locker.

Daily life at Bay and Gerrard

This is a location for people who want to walk to work. The hospital district along University Avenue, the university buildings around Queen’s Park, the Yonge Street shops and the College Park area are all within an easy walk, and the automatic panel on this page shows the nearest transit and services.

Bay and Gerrard is busy and will stay busy. Traffic on Bay, the constant movement of hospital and office workers, and ongoing construction on surrounding sites are part of the deal. Gerrard Street West is a calmer side street than Bay itself, which is one advantage Liberties III has over the two Bay Street towers in its own complex.

What Liberties III costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $827 per square foot. That is a moderate figure for this part of downtown, below what newer towers on the corridor ask per square foot, and it reflects a 1990 building with larger-than-average suites.

Only one suite was for sale and one for lease when I checked, so there is no active price range worth quoting. Supply in a 172-suite building is naturally thin, and you may wait for the right plan to come up.

The building also competes with its own siblings. Liberties I and II on Bay Street offer a similar era and a similar product, so if nothing suitable is available at 44 Gerrard, it is worth looking next door, while keeping in mind that each tower has its own fees, reserve fund and board.

Because hydro, heat, air conditioning and cable are listed in the fee, the monthly figure will look high next to newer buildings. Compare total monthly cost, not the fee alone. For a value check on a specific suite, I can pull recent sales through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Liberties III

An indoor pool and sauna are the standouts, and they are uncommon in a building this size. They are also the most expensive amenities to run and eventually replace, so the reserve fund study should show a plan for them.

Jatin’s honest take on Liberties III

Liberties III — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.