The Church Lofts, 701 Dovercourt Rd: Stained Glass Around a 3-Storey Atrium

The Church Lofts is the conversion I show buyers who want to see a church turned into homes properly, inside and out. The architect kept the original stained glass, kept the great octagonal skylight and built a three-storey atrium under it, then wrapped 28 suites around the light. It is small, it is expensive per square foot, and for the right buyer it is worth it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1906 church built around its own skylight

This was Centennial Methodist, a neo-Gothic church that opened in 1906. An earlier church from 1891 stood at the back of the lot, so the 1906 building has an unusually square footprint that runs right up to the sidewalk and the property line.

Bernard Watt, an Annex-based architect, led the conversion and, by his own account to The Globe and Mail, wore the developer’s hat as well. Instead of slicing the sanctuary into floors and losing the roof, he kept the giant octagonal skylight and created a hotel-style, three-storey central atrium beneath it, with the suites arranged around the edges.

Balconies and new windows were fitted into the gaps between the neo-Gothic buttresses and corners rather than punched through the main walls. From the street, it still reads as a church first.

Watt was candid about how hard this kind of project is. He told The Globe that surprises behind century-old walls forced on-site redesigns, and that many established trades simply would not take on a religious building. That history is useful to a buyer, because it tells you the conversion was custom work, and custom work is worth inspecting closely.

The stained glass is the reason to buy here

The original stained glass is unusual. It is botanical and Art Nouveau in style, not religious, which is one reason it was kept. A glass artist from Georgetown removed and numbered each pane, then cleaned, repaired and stored them through roughly two years of construction before they went back in.

Inside, most suites combine that glass with exposed brick, century-old steel trusses, leaded skylights and, in larger units, original archways. Light comes down from above and through coloured glass, so suites can feel brighter than their window count suggests.

The other side of that is that you are buying heritage glass in your exterior wall. Ask how the corporation handles maintenance and replacement of the stained glass and the skylights, and how those items are treated in the reserve fund study.

Layouts: single-level, two-storey and some oddities

Condos.ca lists suites from about 612 to 1,368 sq ft, and one loft directory goes as high as 1,482. Plans include single-level and two-storey suites, and some of the larger ones have unusual multi-level layouts because the design worked around the original church spaces.

Sources also disagree on height: condos.ca lists three storeys, while the same loft directory lists four in its facts table. The likely explanation is the upper mezzanine levels within suites, but confirm floor numbering and access when you view.

Two-storey suites here are the most sought-after because they get the volume and the most glass. Single-level units can be excellent too, but check where the windows fall; in a church, not every room gets a big one.

Because the suites open onto a shared atrium rather than a closed corridor, think about sound and privacy when you view. Stand in the suite at a busy time of day, listen for voices and doors carrying across the open space, and ask current owners how it feels in practice. For most people the light is worth it, but it is a different experience from a standard hallway.

Living on Dovercourt

Dovercourt Road here is residential and leafy, with Bloor Street West a short walk north and College Street and Little Italy farther south. Day to day, you have the Bloor strip for groceries and errands and the subway access listed in the panel on this page.

Two other church conversions sit within a few blocks: Hepbourne Hall, the former Presbyterian church hall and manse around the corner on Hepbourne Street, and West 40 in the former Church of St. Mary the Virgin and St. Cyprian on Westmoreland Avenue north of Bloor. If you are serious about a church loft, view all three on the same afternoon.

Each of the three has a different personality. The Church Lofts is the most finished of them, with the atrium as its showpiece; Hepbourne Hall is quieter and plainer inside with larger suites; and West 40 is the newest conversion with the biggest units. Seeing them side by side is the fastest way to learn which trade-offs you actually care about.

What The Church Lofts costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $1,179 per square foot, which is high for a conversion in this part of the west end and above the averages at both nearby church buildings. You are paying for the stained glass, the atrium and a heritage building completed only in 2010, not for amenities.

No suites were listed for sale or for lease when I checked. With 28 suites, listings are rare, and a single sale can move the average a lot, so take the per-square-foot figure as a rough guide.

The fee includes heat, water, air conditioning and cable TV on top of common elements and insurance. That is a generous inclusion list, and it means your own monthly bills are mostly hydro and internet. If you want a value check on a specific suite, I can pull the building’s recent resales through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Church Lofts

Amenities are limited to a multi-purpose party and meeting room with a kitchen, plus a parking garage. The real shared amenity is the atrium itself, which is the first thing you see when you come home. There is no gym or concierge, which keeps the shared budget focused on the building itself.

Jatin’s honest take on The Church Lofts

The Church 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.