Residences of Designers Walk, 330 Davenport Rd: 24 Big Suites, Low $/sq ft

Residences of Designers Walk is a building I point to when an Annex buyer wants space, not a tower view. It is a four-storey, 24-suite building from 2000, tucked into the design district on Davenport Road, where the smallest suite is close to 950 sq ft. It also prices well below the newer buildings a few doors away. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A residence inside Toronto’s design district

Designers Walk has been a centre for Toronto’s interior design and furnishings showrooms for decades, and this building was developed as its residential piece. The suites sit on Davenport just below Dupont, a short walk from both Yorkville and the Annex.

A Toronto Life feature on a ground-floor suite in a 1999 Designers Walk complex on Davenport describes a building that borrows from Victorian townhouse forms, with commercial-residential zoning that lets residents run a business from home and a private garage at the rear. That description fits this building, but the article does not give a street number, so confirm the zoning and any home-business allowance against the declaration for the specific suite.

Living next to a showroom complex has a practical rhythm: activity during business hours, quieter evenings and weekends than a retail strip. If you work in design, furniture or architecture, the address itself is useful; clients and suppliers already know where it is.

Big suites, private entries

The suite range here runs from about 946 to 1,626 sq ft. There is no small entry-level product, which keeps the building owner-occupied in feel and means most suites are true two-bedroom or two-plus-den homes.

Recent listings describe direct elevator access into the suite, in-suite garbage chutes and walk-outs to terraces. One ground-floor suite was described with its own street access and a finished lower level with a separate entrance, which is closer to a townhouse than a typical condo. With 24 suites, expect each plan to differ; ask for the floor plan, ceiling heights and outdoor space for the exact suite.

Listings indicate one exclusive parking space and one locker per suite, and parking is included in the common fees.

Many suites here are now 25 years into their original finishes, which is part of why the price per foot is lower. If you plan to renovate, budget for it from the start and read the corporation’s renovation rules; most boards require approval for flooring, plumbing and anything touching common elements, and approval in a small building can depend on a handful of neighbours.

A pool in a 24-suite building

The amenity list for a building this small is unusual: an indoor pool, a sauna, a gym, a security guard and a security system, according to listing data. Very few boutique buildings in midtown carry a pool.

That is a real lifestyle benefit and a real cost. A pool is one of the most expensive amenities to run and eventually rebuild, and here that cost is split among only 24 owners. I could not independently confirm the current state of the pool, so ask the manager whether it is open and look for it in the reserve fund study.

What is changing on Davenport

This stretch of Davenport is in transition. A 22-storey, roughly 100-unit mixed-use condominium called Designers Walk, by Cityzen and Greybrook Realty Partners with BBB Architects, is proposed at 314 Davenport Road on the northwest corner of Davenport and Bedford. It was still listed as pre-construction when I checked.

A little to the east, By Burnac has started construction on The Bedford, a 13-storey building at 287 Davenport, with occupancy expected in late 2028. Between the two, expect years of construction nearby and a denser, taller Davenport when it is done.

For an owner here, that can mean more shops and better streetscape later, and noise and changed views sooner. Check which direction your suite faces. Transit, schools and parks are shown in the data panel on this page.

Pricing: low per foot for the Annex

The building average reported on condos.ca is about $802 per square foot. That is low for this location. Newer Annex buildings close by sit well above it: AYC Condos on Pears and Davenport shows about $1,087, and Bianca on Dupont about $1,068. The Creed Building at 295 Davenport, a similar-age low-rise, shows about $843.

The discount reflects age and format. These are 25-year-old suites with older finishes in many cases, and buyers pay a premium for new construction. It also reflects how few suites trade; with 24 units, the average rests on a small sample.

Monthly fees were not published in the data I reviewed, so ask for the current budget and the fee for the specific suite. Parking and water are included, but with a pool, sauna and staffed security spread across 24 owners, I would expect the fee per square foot to sit above that of a no-amenity boutique building nearby, and I would want to see that the reserve fund contribution keeps pace.

There were no active listings when I checked. As simple arithmetic, the building average applied to the size range works out to roughly $760,000 for the smallest suites and about $1.3 million for the largest, before adjusting for condition and outdoor space. Either way, you get noticeably more room per dollar than in the new towers. For the actual sales, ask me for the building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Residences of Designers Walk

For a 24-suite building, this is a strong package: you can swim and use a sauna without leaving home, and there is staffed security. Just remember that every one of those amenities is funded by very few owners.

Jatin’s honest take on Residences of Designers Walk

Residences of Designers Walk — 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.