London on the Esplanade, 1 Scott St: Two Towers, Parking in the Fee

London on the Esplanade is two buildings in one: a brick tower that nods to the old warehouses of the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, and a glass tower that looks like the downtown of 2009. They share a podium, an amenity floor and a fee that includes parking, which is rarer than it should be downtown. It also has one of the widest suite ranges I see, from studios under 350 square feet to penthouses over 3,000. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Brick on one side, glass on the other

Cityzen built London on the Esplanade with Burka Architects as a pair of towers, reported at 16 and 33 storeys, connected by a low podium. One profile describes the east tower with a brick facade and the west tower in glass and steel, which is how the building tries to bridge the historic St. Lawrence blocks and the financial core to the west.

UrbanToronto photographed it under construction in late 2008. By 2017 its view from Church and Wellington had largely been blocked by The Berczy, and Castlepoint Numa’s L Tower now rises right beside it. That is the reality of this corner: the building is surrounded, so views vary sharply by tower, floor and exposure.

condos.ca counts 444 suites, while one older profile gives 304. The difference may come from how the two towers and the townhouse or podium suites are grouped, so if the exact count matters to you, rely on the condominium plan in the status certificate.

From micro-studios to two-level penthouses

Suite sizes here run from about 345 square feet to more than 3,200. At the small end you are looking at true studio living, which suits a pied-à-terre or an investor. At the top, the largest suites are penthouse-scale homes, a format you rarely see in a building that also has studios on the same roster. Penthouse buyers here are paying for space and outlook, so inspect terraces, waterproofing and any private mechanical equipment closely.

Ceilings are reported at about 9 feet as standard, and suites have balconies. With the newer towers crowding this corner, I would pay close attention to which way a suite faces and what has been built in front of it since 2009.

That range is good for resale. When a building has many suite types, buyers can move up within it, and there are usually enough comparable sales to price a suite properly.

Parking, heat and cooling in one fee

The fee inclusions here are among the strongest in the neighbourhood: common elements, heat, air conditioning, water, building insurance and parking. Many downtown buildings of this age leave out parking, and many newer ones meter heating and cooling to each suite.

Active listings show fees around $1.04 per square foot, which looks high in isolation. Once you add back a parking space and a year of heating and cooling at a comparable building, the gap narrows. Hydro for lights and appliances is still yours. Confirm that the suite you are buying actually comes with a parking space, since the fee inclusion only helps if you own one.

Daily life at Scott and The Esplanade

This corner sits between the St. Lawrence Market blocks and the Yonge Street end of the financial district. Berczy Park, with its well-known dog fountain, is a short walk north, and the Front Street theatres and the market are close enough to make the car optional for daily life.

The Esplanade itself is a busy restaurant strip, so suites low on the street side will hear evening crowds and deliveries. The rail corridor runs to the south of this part of downtown, so check for train noise on south-facing floors. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

What has changed most since 2009 is density. L Tower, The Berczy and 75 on the Esplanade have all been added within a few blocks, so the corner now has far more residents, more street life and more competition when you sell. That competition is the main reason I tell sellers here to price against the newer stock, not just against past sales in this building.

For buyers coming from the suburbs, the two-tower layout is worth understanding on a visit. Ask which elevators serve which tower, where the amenity floor sits relative to your suite, and how deliveries and move-ins are handled, because in a building this size those routines shape your week.

Pricing beside L Tower and The Berczy

London on the Esplanade averages about $923 per square foot on condos.ca. That puts it slightly above L Tower next door at about $876 and well below The Berczy, the smaller 2013 building at Front and Church, at about $1,147. The older Esplanade towers from the 1980s, such as 25 The Esplanade at about $740, trade at a clear discount.

Fees on active listings average about $1.04 per square foot here against about $0.99 at L Tower. L Tower is newer, but parking and heating are not part of every fee there, so compare total monthly cost rather than headline fees.

At the time of writing, four suites were listed for sale, asking from about $349,000 to about $940,000 for larger plans, with fees from the low $300s to the mid $900s a month. Three suites were listed for rent. For aggregate sold figures, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at London on the Esplanade

condos.ca lists a gym, rooftop deck, party, media and meeting rooms, guest suites and a concierge. An older profile describes roughly 10,000 square feet of amenity space including a rooftop pool and whirlpool, steam rooms and a pub-style lounge; confirm what is operating today before you rely on it.

Jatin’s honest take on London on the Esplanade

London on the Esplanade — 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.