8 Gladstone Ave: Streetcar’s 89-Suite Mid-Rise Off Queen West

8 Gladstone is the middle chapter of a block that Streetcar Developments rebuilt piece by piece. It went up in 2013 between Two Gladstone and the later Carnaby buildings, on land that had been derelict, and it gives you a mid-rise with a pedestrian mews out back and Queen Street West at the corner. It is a practical, well-located building rather than a showpiece, and that is often what buyers here actually want. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One piece of a rebuilt block

The land behind the Gladstone Hotel, running south from Queen toward the rail corridor, sat derelict for years before Streetcar began redeveloping it. Two Gladstone, an eight-storey condo at the southeast corner opposite the hotel, came first and was finished in 2011. 8 Gladstone followed directly north of it and was completed in 2013.

After that came the Carnaby, a 20-storey glass tower and an 11-storey mid-rise on the west side of the site, and Twenty Condos further north. TACT Architecture designed the overall complex, and a north-south pedestrian mews and a new park toward Dufferin Street tie the buildings together.

The practical result is that 8 Gladstone sits inside a planned, mostly finished mini-neighbourhood rather than on a lot surrounded by unknowns. The main loose end in 2015 was the abandoned steel frame of the former Templar Hotel project at Peel and Gladstone, which was not part of the redevelopment. Check its current status when you visit.

Compact suites in a mid-rise

Condos.ca puts suites at roughly 464 to 1,102 square feet, while the original marketing quoted about 510 to 1,212. Either way, this is mostly a one-bedroom and one-plus-den building with a smaller number of two-bedroom plans, the kind of mix that suits first-time buyers and investors.

The storey count is also reported differently. Condos.ca records 7 storeys and UrbanToronto describes an eight-storey building, and I could not confirm which count is right. It does not change much for a buyer, but it is worth knowing when you compare listings that describe floor numbers.

With 89 suites, the building is big enough to fund a concierge-style security presence and a few amenity rooms, but small enough that the elevator wait and the lobby feel manageable. Ask for floor plans and check exposure carefully, since suites facing the mews, Gladstone Avenue and the neighbouring buildings get very different light.

Fees, inclusions and parking

Condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance and water in the fee. Parking is not listed as included, so if a suite comes with a space, ask whether its cost is included in the suite’s fee or charged separately, and confirm it in the status certificate.

Heat and cooling in the fee is a plus for budgeting, especially in smaller suites. Hydro is on you. With only one suite listed for sale when I wrote this, there is no meaningful current fee range to quote, so ask for the fee schedule for the specific suite and compare it per square foot against Two Gladstone and the Carnaby.

At more than ten years old, 8 Gladstone is moving into the stage where the reserve fund study starts to show real projects: roofing, garage repairs, common-area refreshes and eventually mechanical equipment. Look at the reserve balance per suite and the planned contributions.

Also ask about the shared parts of the block. With several Streetcar buildings around one mews and a common garage arrangement possible, there may be shared facilities agreements that set how costs for the mews, ramps or services are split between corporations. Those agreements are in the status certificate package, and they are worth reading rather than skimming.

Queen and Gladstone, day to day

The building is a few steps south of Queen Street West, beside the Gladstone Hotel, with galleries, cafés, bars and restaurants on both sides. The mews behind the buildings gives you a quieter way in and out than the main street.

This stretch of Queen West is busy at night, so expect evening activity, especially on weekends. If you are a light sleeper, a suite on the mews side or a higher floor will usually be calmer than one facing Gladstone. Transit, parks and grocery options are summarised in the panel on this page.

What 8 Gladstone costs

Condos.ca shows a building average of about $881 per square foot. Treat it as a rough benchmark: it blends small and large suites and different exposures, and with 89 units the average can move noticeably from year to year.

There was one suite for sale and two for rent when I wrote this, so active asking prices are not a useful range on their own. The aggregate sales and rent figures in the panel above are a better guide to where the building trades.

Two suites listed for rent at the same time as one for sale tells you something about the ownership mix: it suggests investors are active here, which supports rental demand but also means more move-ins and move-outs. The owners-versus-renters figures in the panel give a clearer picture.

For a specific suite, compare it with recent sales of the same layout and exposure inside 8 Gladstone first, then with Two Gladstone and the Carnaby next door. My building sold report puts that history in one place.

Building specifications

Amenities at 8 Gladstone

Condos.ca lists a security guard, party room, media room, meeting room, bike storage and permitted barbecues. The original marketing also promised a gym, pet spa, car share and bike share, so ask which of those exist and run today before you count on them.

Jatin’s honest take on 8 Gladstone

8 Gladstone — 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.