Historical Don Hall Lofts, 957 Broadview Ave: Eight Suites on Broadview

Historical Don Hall Lofts is about as small as a Toronto condominium gets: eight suites in a two-storey building on Broadview, north of the Danforth. It is the kind of place you only find if someone tells you about it, and listings are rare. The name promises a story, and I will be honest about how much of it I could confirm. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

What the name tells you, and what I could not confirm

The building is marketed as the Historical Don Hall Lofts, which suggests an older hall converted into lofts. I could not find a published history of the building, a heritage listing, or a record of its earlier use in the sources I checked. Condos.ca gives 1985 as the build year, which likely reflects when the condominium was created rather than when the structure was first built.

If the history matters to you, there are two easy ways to check. Search the City of Toronto’s Heritage Register for 957 Broadview Avenue, and ask the seller or the property manager for any documents about the building’s original use. A heritage listing or designation can affect what changes owners are allowed to make to the exterior.

Either way, treat it as a 1985 condominium for due diligence. That is the age of the corporation, its reserve fund history and, very likely, many of its major building systems.

An eight-suite corporation

With only eight suites, this is closer to a shared house than to a condo building. There is no lobby, concierge or amenity room; condos.ca lists only BBQ permission and a security system. What you get is a small group of owners and a fee that covers common elements, insurance, water and parking.

Small corporations can work very well. Decisions are quick, everyone knows everyone, and there is little to maintain beyond the building itself. The risk is concentration. A new roof, window replacement or masonry repair is split eight ways, and one owner who falls behind on fees affects the whole budget.

Condos.ca does not give a size range for the suites, so ask for the registered floor plan and measure the suite yourself. In converted or older buildings, the advertised square footage and the registered area do not always match.

Ask, too, whether any suites are rented out. In an eight-suite building, even two or three tenanted units change the mix of owners who vote at meetings and pay attention to upkeep, so it is worth knowing before you commit.

Buying in a very small, older condominium

Buying into an eight-suite corporation that is about 40 years old is different from buying in a tower, and your lender and insurer may treat it differently too. Some lenders look harder at very small corporations, so talk to your mortgage broker before you make an offer, and make sure the status certificate is ready in time for them to review it.

Insurance is the next item. Ask for the corporation’s insurance certificate and the deductible, because in a small building a high deductible can land on one or two owners after a leak. Your own condo unit policy should cover that deductible amount.

Then look at who actually runs things. In a building like this, the property manager may only visit a few times a year, and much of the day-to-day work falls on volunteer owners. Ask how snow, garbage, repairs and common-area cleaning are handled, and whether owners are expected to pitch in. Some buyers love that; others would rather not.

Broadview North, day to day

The building sits on Broadview Avenue in the old East York part of Broadview North, north of the Danforth. This stretch is quieter and more residential than Broadview south of Danforth, with the shops and restaurants of the Danforth a walk south and the green edge of the Don Valley close by to the west.

Broadview is a busy street, so front-facing suites will hear traffic. Visit at rush hour, and check whether the suite you want faces the street or the rear. The automatic panel on this page covers the nearest transit, schools, groceries and parks.

What Historical Don Hall Lofts costs to own

Condos.ca does not publish an average price per square foot for this building, and with eight suites there are too few sales to build a reliable one. At the time of writing there was a single suite listed for sale and none for rent, so I am not going to quote an asking range from one listing.

To value a suite here, compare it with recent sales of similar-sized condos and with small freehold homes nearby, then adjust for the included parking and the building’s age. My building sold report is the place to start. Because the sample is so small, I would also look at sales in other small low-rise condos in East York and Riverdale to frame the value.

Fees include parking and water as well as common elements and building insurance. Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so ask for a year of utility bills. In a building this small, ask what share of the budget goes to the reserve fund, because that is your protection against a large special assessment later.

Building specifications

Amenities at Historical Don Hall Lofts

There are no shared amenity spaces to speak of. Your amenities are the Danforth and the Don Valley trails; the building itself is about the suite, the parking and a very small group of neighbours. For most buyers, the included parking space is worth more than any amenity room would be.

Jatin’s honest take on Historical Don Hall Lofts

Historical Don Hall Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.