330 @ Imperial Square, 330 Adelaide St E: Bigger Suites, Lower $/Sq Ft

330 @ Imperial Square is the building I point to when a buyer wants real square footage downtown and does not need a pool or a doorman. It is the Adelaide Street half of Plaza’s 2001 Imperial Square project, 95 suites over 11 storeys, and its suites run larger than its sister’s around the corner. Listings here are rare, so it pays to know the building before one comes up. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The Adelaide half of Imperial Square

Plaza built Imperial Square as two 11-storey buildings that registered as separate corporations on the same day in October 2001. This one, on Adelaide, is MTCC-1404 with 95 suites. The Richmond Street building behind it is MTCC-1403 with 90. They share a name and a builder, not a budget.

That is the first thing I explain to buyers comparing the two. Each building has its own board, its own reserve fund study and its own repair history, so a healthy status certificate on one side says nothing about the other. If you are choosing between them, put both documents side by side.

From the street this is a conventional brick-and-concrete mid-rise, not a statement building. Its appeal is scale. At 11 storeys it sits low among the newer towers that have filled in Adelaide, Richmond and King East since it was built, and with fewer than 100 suites you do not fight crowds for the elevator in the morning.

Why the suites here are worth a look

condos.ca records suites from about 600 to 1,172 square feet. Compare that with the Richmond building, where the smallest suites are just over 400 square feet. There are no tiny studios at the bottom of the range here, and the top of the range is a true two-bedroom size that is hard to find in a new downtown tower without paying a large premium.

Early-2000s plans tend to have more conventional rooms: a proper living room, bedrooms with doors and windows, and less of the long, narrow layout that newer buildings use to hit a price. The finishes are a different matter. After 25 years, each suite reflects how its owners have looked after it, so compare renovated and original suites carefully and price the work you would want to do.

I could not find a reliable published source for ceiling heights or plan names. Bring a tape measure, and if a listing describes a suite as loft-style, check what that actually means in a conventional mid-rise.

Living between Richmond and King East

The building sits on the block between Richmond and King, in the stretch of downtown east that connects the St. Lawrence Market area with Corktown and the Distillery District. Adelaide and Richmond both carry bike lanes, and drivers reach the Gardiner through the Sherbourne ramp, according to the building page published by Dash Property Management. The data panel on this page covers transit options in detail.

This part of the city is still changing quickly. New towers keep arriving on Adelaide, Richmond and King East, and the Ontario Line plans a Moss Park station in the area. Expect construction noise and lane closures for a while; also expect the transit to matter when it is time to sell.

Walk the immediate blocks at different times of day before you buy. Moss Park is a true downtown-east neighbourhood, a mix of old low-rise buildings, new condos and community services, and the price per square foot here reflects that mix. Decide in person whether it suits how you live.

Small-building ownership: what changes for you

With 95 suites, the corporation is small enough that a handful of engaged owners can shape how it is run. Board seats are filled by neighbours, annual meetings are manageable, and decisions about repairs and rules tend to be made by people who live in the building.

The flip side is cost-sharing. A new roof, a garage repair or an elevator modernization costs roughly the same in a 95-suite building as in one twice the size, but here it is split across fewer owners. That is why the reserve fund study is the single most important document you will read before buying.

Small buildings also have less staff. With no concierge listed, ask how deliveries, move-ins and visitor access are handled, and whether the building has an on-site superintendent or relies on the property manager’s office.

Price per square foot and the fee bundle

condos.ca puts the average at about $646 per square foot, a little below its Richmond sister and well below newer towers on King East and around the St. Lawrence Market. Larger suites usually trade at a lower price per square foot than small ones, which partly explains the gap; the building’s age and lean amenity list explain the rest.

The fee includes common elements, heat, building insurance, parking and water. That is a stronger bundle than many newer buildings, where heat is on your own meter and parking is a separate charge. Unlike the Richmond building’s record, air conditioning is not listed as included here, so ask the seller how cooling is supplied and billed, and get twelve months of hydro bills.

There were no suites listed for sale when I checked, which is normal for a 95-suite building. When one does come up, you need comparables quickly. Ask me for a building sold report so you know what similar suites have actually traded for before you make an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at 330 @ Imperial Square

The amenities are basic: a shared rooftop patio, a fitness room, a party room and a meeting room. There is no pool or concierge listed, so you pay for space and location rather than for facilities, and that is reflected in the fee.

Jatin’s honest take on 330 @ Imperial Square

330 @ Imperial Square — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.