Spire, 33 Lombard St: Context’s 45-Storey Tower by St. James Cathedral

Spire is the 45-storey glass tower that stands over the low brick blocks around St. James Cathedral, and it takes its name from the cathedral’s steeple. Context Development and architectsAlliance gave it a plain, confident glass form that architecture critics liked, and buyers still pay a premium for it almost two decades later. My job here is to tell you whether that premium is earned. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A modernist tower named for a cathedral

Spire rises about 145 metres over the corner of Church and Adelaide, making it a landmark in a neighbourhood of low brick buildings and church grounds. It was developed by Context Development, a firm known downtown for design-led buildings, and designed by Peter Clewes of architectsAlliance.

The building’s name refers to the Cathedral Church of St. James across the way, whose steeple was long the tallest point in this part of the city. A Globe and Mail critic praised the tower for understanding where it sits and what it is for, which is about as good a review as a condo tower gets.

The design is restrained: a slim glass tower with retail at street level, where the design jury even suggested a canopy to shade the shops. Restraint ages well. Nearly 20 years on, Spire still reads as a current building, which supports resale in a way that flashier towers of the same period often do not.

Small one-bedrooms and a few family-sized suites

Most of what trades here is compact. The active listings I reviewed were mostly one-bedrooms in the 500 to 599 square foot range, with a two-bedroom in the 800s and a larger two-plus-den. Those are investor and first-buyer sizes, and they make up the bulk of the building.

At the other end, suites reach about 2,750 square feet. Family-sized suites with three bedrooms or a large den are genuinely rare downtown, and in a building like this they come up only occasionally. When one does, it is priced on its own terms rather than against the one-bedrooms, so I look at comparable large suites across the core, not just in this building.

With 45 storeys, the floor you buy on changes the suite more than the floor plan does. Upper floors get the lake and skyline; lower floors look into neighbouring buildings. Check what has been built or approved around Church and Adelaide since 2007 before paying for a view.

If you are buying a compact one-bedroom, look hard at storage and the bedroom window. Suites under 600 square feet live very differently depending on whether the bedroom has its own exterior glass and whether there is a usable closet, and those details show up directly in resale and rental demand.

Parking in the fee, and a high fee per square foot

Spire’s fee includes common elements, water, heat, building insurance and parking. Having parking in the fee is valuable downtown, but the fee itself is high: active listings average about $1.17 per square foot, with monthly fees ranging from the low $600s for a one-bedroom to more than $1,200 for the largest listed suite.

Air conditioning and hydro are not listed as included, so add your summer cooling and electricity to the carrying cost. If the suite you are buying has no parking space, ask how the parking component of the fee is handled, because inclusions sometimes depend on what is attached to the unit.

Living at Church and Adelaide

The location is the building’s strongest asset after its design. The financial district is a short walk west, St. Lawrence Market is a short walk south, and St. James Park and the cathedral grounds give you green space at the door.

This is also a busy downtown intersection with buses, bars and restaurants nearby, so lower suites on the Church Street side will hear the city. Higher floors and suites facing away from the intersection are quieter. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

Lombard Street itself is a short, quieter side street that has been filling in with boutique buildings, including the small Residences on Lombard and older mid-rises like Absolute Lofts at 77 Lombard. That mix of small and tall is part of what keeps the block from feeling like a tower canyon.

The changes coming are mostly more density. New towers continue to rise along Church, Jarvis and King Street East, which brings more shops and services within walking distance, and also more construction noise and more competing listings when you sell.

Why Spire costs more per square foot

Spire averages about $995 per square foot on condos.ca, one of the highest figures in this part of downtown. That is ahead of L Tower at about $876, Vu South at about $878 and London on the Esplanade at about $923, and roughly level with the new boutique Residences on Lombard at about $997.

Part of that premium is suite size: compact one-bedrooms always carry a higher price per square foot than larger suites. Part of it is the building’s reputation and location. The fee, at about $1.17 per square foot, is also one of the higher ones nearby, even allowing for parking.

At the time of writing, five suites were listed for sale, asking from about $449,000 to about $925,000. One suite was listed for rent. For aggregate sold figures, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Spire

The amenity list is a solid, conventional package: a concierge, gym, party and meeting rooms, guest suites and a rooftop deck with barbecues. There is no pool, which keeps one large future expense off the reserve fund; you buy Spire for the location and the building, not for resort-style extras.

Jatin’s honest take on Spire

Spire — 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.