Claremont Hall Lofts, 34 Claremont St: 13 Lofts in a 1950 Church Hall

Claremont Hall Lofts is about as small as a Toronto condominium gets: 13 suites in a converted church hall on a residential street off Queen West. It is the kind of building people walk past for years without noticing, and that is exactly its appeal. It also comes with the realities of a tiny corporation and a 75-year-old structure, and you need to go in with your eyes open. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A church hall turned into 13 homes

The building started life around 1950 as the large hall of a neighbouring church, a solid masonry structure built for gatherings rather than for living. Press coverage of the building puts the conversion at 1995, and condos.ca lists 1996, which matches the year the condominium was registered.

The conversion was by Bob Mitchell, one of the developers who pioneered loft conversions in Toronto’s west end in the 1980s and 1990s. His buildings tend to be small, character-heavy and light on amenities, and this one fits the pattern: 13 suites over two storeys, with no lobby to speak of and no concierge.

Church conversions are their own category. Researchers who study them in Toronto note that they are marketed on their story and their past as much as on their floor plans. That is fine, but the story does not pay for repairs. You are buying an old masonry building, and you should judge it the way you would judge an old house.

Layouts shaped by an old shell

Because the lofts were carved out of one large hall, no two suites are quite the same. The shell sets the window positions, ceiling heights and room shapes, so you get odd angles and generous volumes rather than a standard floor plan. Condos.ca’s recorded size data for this building is too thin to give a reliable range, so measure the suite you are looking at and ask for the floor plan.

The ground-floor and upper suites live very differently. Ground-floor suites can open onto outdoor space, while upper suites tend to get more light and height. Some suites have original features such as fireplaces, which buyers love but which need inspection and insurance checks. Ask your home inspector to look at the masonry, windows and any fireplace in the suite itself, not just the common areas.

What a 13-suite corporation means for you

With 13 owners, every decision is personal and every bill is big. A new roof, masonry repair or a garage fix is split 13 ways, not 300. In a well-run small building, owners know each other, problems get fixed quickly and the fee stays sensible. In a poorly run one, a single major repair can mean a special assessment that lands hard on every owner.

That is why the status certificate, the reserve fund study and the board minutes matter even more here than in a tower. Read them for the roof, the masonry, the windows and the parking area, and ask how many owners live in the building versus rent their suites. A small owner-occupied group tends to run a building differently than a group of investors.

Financing can also take more care in a very small building. Some lenders look more closely at small corporations, so talk to your mortgage broker about the building before you firm up an offer.

Living on Claremont Street

Claremont Street is a quiet residential side street lined with houses, and the building sits just north of Queen Street West. You are a short walk from Trinity Bellwoods Park to the west, with Queen West’s restaurants, galleries and shops at the end of the street, and Ossington and Dundas West within walking distance.

In December 2024, City Council adopted a heritage conservation district plan for Queen Street West from Bathurst to Dufferin, which is meant to guide how the main street a few steps from here changes. That gives some comfort to buyers who worry about the character of the area, although it does not stop all new development nearby.

Transit, school and walkability details are in the data panel on this page. The practical point I would add is that this is a street where walking and cycling are the natural way to get around, and it feels like a neighbourhood rather than a downtown corridor.

What Claremont Hall Lofts costs

Condos.ca puts the average at about $1,330 per square foot, but I would not lean on that figure. With 13 suites and very few sales in any year, the average can rest on one or two transactions, and condos.ca’s recorded suite size data here is thin. In a building this small, every suite is effectively its own comparable.

No suites were listed for sale or lease when I checked, which is typical. Suites here come up rarely, and when they do, buyers who have been watching for a church loft near Trinity Bellwoods move quickly. If you want to be ready, set up an alert and get a mortgage pre-approval before anything is listed.

On fees, the inclusions are short: common elements, building insurance, water and parking. Heat and hydro are not listed, so expect to carry both yourself, and ask for recent utility bills, because heating a high-ceilinged masonry space can cost more than a modern condo. If you want to see what comparable lofts nearby have traded for, I can pull it through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Claremont Hall Lofts

Condos.ca lists a small gym and sauna, parking, a security system and permitted barbecues. In a 13-suite building, think of these as conveniences rather than a selling point; you are buying the space and the street, not the amenities.

Jatin’s honest take on Claremont Hall Lofts

Claremont Hall 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.