Chocolate Company Lofts, 955 Queen St W: Hard or Soft Loft Across the Park

Chocolate Company Lofts gives you something almost no other Queen West building can: a loft with Trinity Bellwoods Park across the street. Plaza converted a former chocolate factory here in 2005 and added a new wing, so the building is really two products under one roof, and the one you choose matters more than the floor you are on. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two buildings under one name

The site was a chocolate factory, and Plaza turned it into lofts in 2005. Rather than convert the old structure alone, the project paired the original industrial buildings with a new six-storey addition. The new part was clad in red and yellow brick so it would sit comfortably beside the old one.

The result is a mix of hard lofts and soft lofts. The hard lofts are in the original factory, with about 12-foot ceilings, exposed brick, timber posts, steel beams and ceilings of sandblasted wood or corrugated steel. The soft lofts are in the addition, with about 10.5-foot ceilings and a lighter, glassier look.

Neither is better; they are different. A hard loft gives you the history and the volume. A soft loft usually gives you more light, newer windows and fewer of the quirks that come with an old building. Decide which one you want before you start booking showings.

The two parts also age differently. The original factory has masonry, older structure and the kind of surprises that come with any building of its era, while the addition has the usual issues of a 2005 condo: windows, sealants, balcony membranes and mechanical equipment approaching mid-life. Both sit in one corporation, so every owner shares the bill for both, whichever side their own suite is on.

Layouts and finishes

Suites run up to about 1,500 square feet, with most being one-bedroom, one-plus-den and two-bedroom lofts. Large windows are standard. One loft guide notes that some of the smaller suites have awkward layouts, which is common in conversions where the floor plate was not designed for apartments.

Original finishes were reported as wood floors, granite counters and stainless steel appliances. Twenty years on, many suites have been updated and some have not, so condition varies a lot from one suite to the next.

Some penthouse suites have terraces with views over the park. Those are the most sought-after units in the building and they are priced accordingly. Ask to see the terrace waterproofing history if you are buying one.

When you compare two suites, look at more than square footage. Ceiling height, which side of the building the windows face and whether the suite is in the old or new structure will shape how it feels far more than an extra 50 square feet.

The park, and Queen West outside your door

Trinity Bellwoods Park is the reason most people buy here. It is one of the busiest and best-loved parks in the west end, with lawns, tennis courts, a dog bowl and a farmers’ market in season. From the front of the building you are across the street from it.

Queen West itself gives you restaurants, bars, galleries and independent shops in both directions, and Ossington and Dundas West are a short walk. The Queen streetcar stops nearby.

That popularity has a cost. Summer weekends bring crowds to the park and the street, and Queen West is lively late at night. Units facing Queen will hear it; units facing the courtyard or the rear will hear far less.

Fees and what they cover

Condos.ca lists the fee as covering common elements, heat, water, air conditioning and building insurance. Parking is not listed as included, so check whether a suite comes with a spot and what it costs to carry.

Across the three suites listed for sale when I wrote this, monthly fees ranged from about $870 to $1,135, and condos.ca put the active-listing average at about $1.11 per square foot. That is on the higher side for a mid-rise, and it reflects a concierge, a staffed building and heating and cooling in the fee.

When you compare it with a newer building that charges less, add back heat, air conditioning and water. The gap shrinks, but it does not disappear, so budget for a fee that is higher than a typical new condo.

What Chocolate Company Lofts costs

Three suites were for sale when I wrote this, with asking prices from about $920,000 to $1,275,000. Those are strong numbers for suites under about 900 square feet, and they show what the park and the loft character are worth to buyers.

Condos.ca did not publish a building average per square foot for this address. Use the sold data panel on this page and compare like with like: a hard loft facing the park and a soft loft facing the rear are priced very differently, even at similar sizes.

Against other west-end lofts, Chocolate Company usually sits near the top of the range. You are paying for the location as much as the building. With only a handful of suites on the market at any one time, choice is limited, so have your financing and your list of must-haves settled before the right one appears.

If you want a clearer picture before you offer, ask me for a building sold report for 955 Queen Street West.

Building specifications

Amenities at Chocolate Company Lofts

For a six-storey loft building, the amenity list is fuller than usual: a concierge, an exercise room, a media room and a party room with a kitchenette that opens to a private courtyard. The concierge is the one most owners value day to day, especially with Queen West foot traffic outside.

Jatin’s honest take on Chocolate Company Lofts

Chocolate Company 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.