The Dorchester, 150 Farnham Ave: Art Deco Character Near St. Clair

The Dorchester is what I show buyers who want midtown character and do not care about a gym or a lobby with a fountain. It is a five-storey art deco low-rise just off Avenue Road and St. Clair, with hardwood floors, crown mouldings and suites that are sized like apartments, not shoeboxes. It is also an old building with almost no amenities, and you need to go in knowing that. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of the city’s earliest condominiums

The corporation number tells you a lot. YCC-72 was registered in March 1972, only a few years after Ontario first allowed condominium ownership, which puts The Dorchester among the earliest condos in Toronto. The Globe and Mail has described it as one of the original buildings converted to condominium ownership.

Building profiles list 1972 as the year built, but that is the registration date. The art deco styling and the conversion history suggest the structure itself is older. If the original construction date matters to you, for example for insurance or a renovation plan, ask for it in the status certificate package rather than relying on the listing.

What you get from that age is character. Suites described in past coverage have original hardwood floors, crown mouldings and wainscoting, and some look onto an interior courtyard. This is plaster-and-brick midtown, not glass-and-concrete midtown.

Real apartment layouts, from studios to two-bedrooms

Recorded suite sizes run from about 270 square feet to roughly 1,090 square feet. The small end is a true bachelor; the large end is a proper two-bedroom. A two-bedroom corner suite of a little over 900 square feet, as covered in The Globe and Mail, had the bathroom set between the two bedrooms and south-facing windows shared by the living and dining rooms.

That split-bedroom plan is the old apartment logic, and it works well for roommates, a home office or a couple who want some separation. You will not find open-concept kitchen islands unless an owner has renovated, and many have updated kitchens and bathrooms over the years. Condition varies suite by suite, so judge each one on its own.

With five storeys and 75 suites, the building has a small, settled feel. Units come up rarely, according to agents who have sold here, so if you want in, be ready to move when one appears.

Studios at the small end deserve a harder look. A 270-square-foot suite in an older building with shared laundry is a narrow product, both to live in and to resell. The one-bedrooms and two-bedrooms are where the building’s strengths, real room sizes and real walls, show up best.

What you give up: amenities and in-suite laundry

Be clear-eyed about this. The Globe and Mail described the building as offering character and space rather than facilities, with shared laundry on site. Many buyers today expect a washer and dryer in the suite. If that is a deal-breaker, check each suite, because some older buildings allow owners to add laundry and some do not, and the rules here should be confirmed with management before you assume anything.

The amenity list is short: a parking garage, bike storage and a security system. There is no concierge, gym or party room recorded. For some buyers that is a plus, because fewer amenities generally mean fewer things for the corporation to staff, maintain and eventually replace.

Parking and lockers are not universal. Some suites that have sold here came with a space and a locker; parking is not listed among the fee inclusions, so confirm what is deeded or assigned to the suite you are buying.

The St. Clair and Avenue Road corner

Farnham Avenue is a short residential street just off Avenue Road, a block below St. Clair. You get a quiet street with mature trees and you are a short walk from the shops, cafés and grocers along St. Clair. Deer Park and Yonge Street are a little further east.

This stretch of St. Clair has seen a steady wave of new mid-rise and high-rise towers over the last two decades. Check current development applications near Avenue Road and St. Clair, because new construction affects views, noise and street parking. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools, Walk Score and what is nearby.

Among the lower prices per foot in Yonge-St. Clair

The building averages about $765 per square foot. Across the 18 Yonge-St. Clair condominiums I track, the median building average is roughly $930 per square foot, so The Dorchester sits near the bottom of the range. Agents who have sold here have also called it one of the more affordable buildings in midtown.

That discount is not free money. You are paying less because there is no concierge, no gym, shared laundry and an older building envelope. For a buyer who values space, a central address and character over amenities, that trade can be a very good one.

When you compare fees, compare like with like. A newer St. Clair tower may quote a lower fee per square foot, but heat is often on your own meter there, and you are also paying for a concierge, a gym and a larger staff. Here the fee carries less staffing but an older building, so the reserve fund, not the monthly number, is what tells you whether the fee is realistic.

The fee covers common elements, heat, building insurance and water, so your main extra bill is hydro. Heat included matters in a building of this age, where radiators or older systems can be expensive to run. There were no active listings when I wrote this. My building sold report shows what has actually closed here.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Dorchester

This is a building with almost nothing beyond the basics. You are buying the suite, the street and the address, and you keep your gym membership.

Jatin’s honest take on The Dorchester

The Dorchester — 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.