Macpherson Church Lofts, 12 Macpherson Ave: Five Lofts in a Church

Macpherson Church Lofts is not a building you shop for. It is one you wait for. A century-old former Methodist church just west of Yonge was converted in 1990 into only five lofts, each spread over several levels, with cathedral ceilings and arched windows you cannot get in new construction. With five owners, a sale here is an event, and so is every roof repair. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Five homes inside one church

The building began as a Methodist church and is now about a century old. In 1990 it was converted into five lofts and registered as one of Toronto’s smaller condominium corporations. Each suite takes a vertical slice of the old building, so instead of a floor of a building you own something closer to a townhouse cut out of a nave.

That is why these suites are so unusual. Listings over the years have described cathedral ceilings, gothic and arched windows, exposed brick and carved buttresses inside the suites, and one recently marketed loft put a home gym in the old steeple. The original churchyard has become private outdoor space, including a wraparound terrace on at least one suite.

I have not found a reliable published record of the church’s original name or its architect, so I will not guess at either. If the history matters to you, the City of Toronto heritage register and the Toronto Archives are the places to check before you buy.

For a buyer, that history is the product. You are not paying for a lobby or a pool. You are paying for volume, light through tall windows and a building that will never be repeated, because Toronto has only a limited number of churches suitable for this kind of conversion.

Layouts: multi-level, and every one is different

Condos.ca records suites from about 2,100 to 3,780 sq ft and lists the building as a single storey, which tells you how poorly a church fits a standard database. In practice the suites are three- and four-level homes. One listing described a suite of about 4,250 to 4,499 sq ft over three storeys, one of them below grade, so published sizes vary depending on whether the lower level is counted.

Because the conversion carved one unusual volume into five pieces, no two suites share a plan. Some have been taken back to the studs and rebuilt; one was fitted with an elevator serving four levels and two separate heating and cooling systems. Others are closer to the 1990 conversion. The finish level will move the price far more than the square footage does.

Stairs are the daily reality. Unless the suite you are considering has had an elevator added, you are living on three or four floors. That suits many buyers, and rules out others, and it is worth walking the suite as if you were carrying groceries and laundry.

What five owners share

There is no concierge, gym or party room. The building’s shared elements are the structure itself, the roof, the masonry, the parking garage, a security system and the grounds. Condos.ca lists pets and barbecues as permitted; confirm both in the declaration and rules before you rely on them.

The fee includes parking, water, building insurance and common elements. Heat and hydro are your own, which matters in a suite with cathedral ceilings and large historic windows. Ask the seller for a full year of utility bills, and ask whether the windows have been restored or replaced.

The bigger issue in a five-suite heritage building is how the costs of the envelope are shared. Masonry repointing, roofing on a steep church roof, historic windows and steeple repairs are expensive, and here they are split five ways. Management is reported as Sayland Property Management.

Small corporations also run differently. With five owners, the board is effectively everyone, decisions can be quick or can stall on one disagreement, and insurance and management costs are spread over very few suites. Ask how often the owners meet, whether a contingency plan exists for a major repair, and how the current management contract is priced.

Living just west of Yonge

Macpherson Avenue runs west from Yonge Street just south of the Summerhill shops, a short walk from the boutiques, food shops and restaurants that line Yonge between Rosedale and St. Clair. You are on a residential side street, close to the busiest stretch of midtown, which is exactly the balance most buyers here want.

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Pricing a five-suite church conversion

Condos.ca reports a building average of about $1,411 per square foot. With five suites, that figure rests on very few sales and should be treated as a rough guide, not a benchmark. One renovated suite can move the average a long way in either direction.

There were no suites for sale or for rent when I checked, which is normal here. To price a suite properly, I look at the building’s own past sales, adjusted for renovation level and outdoor space, then at other Toronto church conversions and at freehold houses on nearby streets, because a buyer for a 3,000 sq ft multi-level loft is often also looking at a house.

If you want to be told when one comes up, this is the kind of building where it pays to be on a watch list. Ask me for the building sold report for what has been recorded.

Building specifications

Amenities at Macpherson Church Lofts

There is no shared amenity package to speak of; what you are buying is the suite, its outdoor space and underground parking in the middle of midtown. For buyers coming from a house, that is usually exactly what they want.

Jatin’s honest take on Macpherson Church Lofts

Macpherson Church Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.