2 Ossington Lofts, 2 Ossington Ave: A Tiny Soft Loft at Queen

2 Ossington Lofts is what you buy when the corner matters more than the building. It sits where Ossington Avenue meets Queen Street West, it has no gym, no concierge and no party room, and it is so small that you will know your neighbours by name. For the right buyer, that is the whole point. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A new-build soft loft, not a conversion

The word loft gets used loosely on Queen West, so be clear about what this is. 2 Ossington is a purpose-built soft loft, finished around 2013, not a converted factory. You get the open plans and the street-front address, without the brick-and-timber history of buildings like the Candy Factory Lofts nearby on Queen.

NDS Properties developed it, and the long-running UrbanToronto and SkyriseCities forum thread on the project credits SMV Architects with the design. The same thread describes it as a small, boutique building meant to stay true to the scale of West Queen West, and records a lease sign going up for space at street level during construction.

A local loft brokerage that profiles the building notes that construction and registration took a long time, and that it was one of the first new loft projects at this intersection. That matters only in one way today: a slow, small project tends to mean a small corporation with a short paper trail, so you will be reading a thin set of documents rather than decades of history.

How many suites, and why the numbers disagree

I want to flag this up front because it affects how you value the building. Condos.ca lists 2 floors, 5 suites and sizes from about 729 to 1,569 square feet. The loft brokerage profile describes 4 storeys and 18 suites ranging from about 416 to 1,156 square feet, and the forum thread title also says four storeys.

I could not resolve that from public sources. The registration date and developer match across all of them, so this is one building, but the suite count you rely on should come from the status certificate and the condominium declaration, not from a listing site. The number matters because it tells you how many owners share every repair bill.

Whichever count is right, this is a very small corporation. In a building of five or eighteen suites, one roof replacement or one major plumbing repair is split among very few people, and a single owner who stops paying fees has an outsized effect on the budget.

Two-level suites and the light question

According to the brokerage profile, the suites split roughly evenly between single-floor layouts and two-level layouts, with hardwood floors and European-style cabinetry as the original standard. Some upper suites have large rooftop terraces, which is the best outdoor space you will find in a building this size.

The same profile is candid that some suites are dark away from the windows. That is common in narrow street-front lofts where the glass is all on one or two faces. Visit in the late afternoon in winter, stand at the back of the suite, and decide whether you can live with it.

I could not confirm ceiling heights from a reliable source, so measure them yourself during a viewing. On a two-level suite, also check the stair: steep or open stairs are part of the charm for some buyers and a deal-breaker for others, especially if you plan to stay into later life.

Rooftop terraces are usable for roughly half the year in Toronto. Before you pay a premium for one, ask whether it is exclusive-use common element, who pays to maintain the membrane underneath it, and whether there are rules about planters, hot tubs or structures.

Living at Queen and Ossington

This is one of the busiest corners on the west side. Ossington’s restaurant and bar strip runs north from your door, Queen West’s shops run both ways, and Trinity Bellwoods Park is a short walk east. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s Queen Street campus is directly across the road.

The trade-off is noise and traffic. The intersection is busy with cars, streetcars and people well into the evening, and suites facing Queen or Ossington will hear it. Ask current owners how the windows perform on a summer weekend night.

Ossington has added several mid-rise buildings since this one was finished, including 109OZ and Motif Lofts and Towns a block or two north. They brought amenities and concierges that 2 Ossington does not have. If you want this location with more building around you, those are the obvious comparisons.

The data panel on this page covers transit, schools, parks and nearby food in detail.

Paying for the corner

Condos.ca puts the average here at about $1,097 per square foot, which is near the top of this part of the city. For comparison, condos.ca shows Motif Lofts and Towns at 41 Ossington at about $1,138, The Argyle Lofts at about $1,046 and 109OZ at about $972.

In a building this small, that average rests on very few sales, so a single unusual suite can move it a long way. Treat it as a rough marker, not a valuation. A two-level suite with a private terrace and a dark single-floor suite are not the same product, even at the same address.

The fee is where the building earns its keep. Condos.ca lists heat, air conditioning, water, parking, building insurance and common elements as included, and with no pool, gym or concierge to fund, the brokerage profile expects fees to stay modest. There were no suites listed for sale when I wrote this; for recent sold figures, see the data panel or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 2 Ossington Lofts

There is effectively no amenity package: BBQs are permitted, and some suites have their own rooftop terraces. Your gym, your party room and your lounge are Queen Street and Trinity Bellwoods, and your fee is not paying for staff or a pool you would not use.

Jatin’s honest take on 2 Ossington Lofts

2 Ossington Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.