Empire Maverick, 327 King St W: Black Tower Above Heritage Row Houses

Empire Maverick on King Street West is the black tower rising out of a row of 1850s brick houses on Restaurant Row. Empire Communities kept and rebuilt the heritage frontages, put the lobby in a new facade at 327 King, and cantilevered a dark, high-contrast tower over the top. It is one of the most distinctive new buildings in the Entertainment District, and also one of the busiest addresses. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Heritage row houses at the base

The King Street frontage incorporates part of Hughes Terrace, a row of designated heritage houses from the 1850s at 321, 323 and 325 King West. During construction, UrbanToronto reported that the facade at 321 was braced in place, while the facades at 323 and 325 were taken down with their materials saved so they could be rebuilt. At 333 King, only the second storey survived, so its architecture was reinterpreted in the new frontage.

The building at 327 King was not designated, and it was replaced by a modern facade that now serves as the residential lobby. The result is a three-storey podium that keeps the scale of the old street wall, with restaurants and shops at grade.

For an owner, the heritage base is a real asset. It gives the building a street presence most towers do not have. It can also come with obligations. Heritage elements may be subject to conservation requirements, and repairs to historic masonry cost more than repairs to new cladding. Ask how the corporation is responsible for the heritage frontage and whether the reserve fund study accounts for it.

The tower: matte black, punched windows and glass corners

The tower is clad in matte black aluminum with square punched windows and black plus-shaped mullions. Four glazed sections wrap the northeast and southwest corners, which gives those corners a lighter, more reflective look against the dark body of the building. The north side cantilevers out, and a transfer slab on top of the podium carries that load down onto hidden columns.

Punched windows rather than floor-to-ceiling glass have a practical upside. A wall that is part solid usually performs better for heat and cooling than an all-glass tower, and it gives you somewhere to put furniture. The trade-off is less glass in the standard suites; if you want the big views, the corner suites in the glazed sections are where to look.

Sources disagree slightly on height. UrbanToronto lists 49 storeys and condos.ca lists 48 floors. The suite count of 328 includes 10 rental units that the developer agreed to offer at 85 percent of market rent for 20 years, which came out of the approvals process.

The suite mix: compact one-bedrooms up to large upper plans

The active listings I reviewed give a fair picture of the mix. One-bedrooms under 500 square feet sit at the entry level, two-bedrooms run from about 700 to 900 square feet, and there are three-bedroom and larger two-bedroom plans at the top end of the price range.

Under 500 square feet, a one-bedroom is a small home, and the plan matters more than the finishes. Look for a usable bedroom that is not just a sliding-door alcove, a kitchen wall long enough for real storage, and a balcony you would actually sit on. At this height and location, a lot of suites will look straight into neighbouring towers, so check the exposure from inside the suite, not from a rendering.

Living on Restaurant Row

This block of King Street, between John and Peter, is the stretch with the densest concentration of restaurants and theatres in the city. Step out of the lobby and you are in it. For people who eat out often and want to walk to the theatre, a Jays game or the office, that is the whole point.

It is also loud, especially on weekend nights, during film festival week and after games. Lower suites facing King will hear the street, and patios run late in summer. Suites higher up or facing Oak Street on the north side should be calmer. Visit at night before you decide which side you want.

Delivery trucks, rideshare pick-ups and busy sidewalks are part of the daily picture too. If you have a car, ask how residents get in and out of the garage at peak times.

What Maverick costs, and the fee picture

I did not have a reliable building average per square foot for Maverick, which is common for a building that registered in late 2024 and has limited resale history. Expect it to price as a new Entertainment District tower.

When I reviewed it there were seven suites for sale, asking from about $529,000 to about $1.5 million. The one-bedrooms under 500 square feet asked roughly $529,000 to $580,000, and the two-bedrooms in the 700 to 899 square foot range asked about $772,000 to $980,000. Some of those asking prices look like remaining developer or assignment inventory, so treat them as asking, not as what the market has paid.

Fees on those listings ran from about $430 to about $1,329 a month, roughly $1.04 per square foot. That is high for a new building, and I could not confirm what it includes. A heritage frontage, a cantilevered tower and a busy retail base all add operating cost, so read the budget carefully. For sold figures, use the aggregate data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Empire Maverick Condos

Condos.ca lists a concierge and a gym, and I could not confirm a fuller amenity list from my sources. In this location most residents treat King Street as the amenity, but confirm exactly what the building offers before you pay for it in the fee.

Jatin’s honest take on Empire Maverick Condos

Empire Maverick Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at King West, Liberty Village and CityPlace more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.