Kensington Market Lofts, 160 Baldwin St: A College Campus Turned Lofts

Kensington Market Lofts is the rare building where you get real loft volume, a parking spot in the fee and an address inside the Market itself. It is a former George Brown College campus between Baldwin and Nassau Streets, turned into 145 lofts around 2000. It is also busy, noisy and occasionally smelly outside, and you should be honest with yourself about whether that is a feature or a problem. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

From college campus to lofts around a courtyard

Before it was condos, this block was a George Brown College campus, and it sat empty for several years before the conversion. The architects, Robert E. Barnett and Paul Oberst, joined two existing buildings into one project of about 150,000 square feet, set around a planted central courtyard.

Joining two buildings of different heights is why the floor plans here are so varied. You will find suites that are long and narrow, suites with mezzanines and suites that wrap corners. That variety is part of the charm, but it also makes comparing one suite with another harder than in a standard tower.

The architects treated the two street sides differently. Baldwin Street got small storefronts and a community space at grade, which fits the Market. On Nassau Street, the facade was rebuilt with suites that have their own front doors and small gardens, a nod to the houses across the street.

Ceilings, mezzanines and mixed loft types

This is the main reason buyers come here. One loft guide reports ceiling heights of roughly 10 to 22 feet, with concrete ceilings, large factory-style windows and open plans. Many suites have a mezzanine used for sleeping or storage, and many have a terrace or balcony.

The building is a mix of hard and soft lofts. Some suites keep more of the original concrete structure and others feel closer to a renovated condo. Floors vary as well, with hardwood, concrete and bamboo all reported. Walk several suites before deciding which style you want.

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at roughly 521 to 1,757 square feet, so there is a real spread, from compact one-bedrooms to large two-storey units. The Nassau Street suites with front doors are a different product again, closer to a townhouse than an apartment.

One practical note about mezzanines. A sleeping loft with a low ceiling and no door is not a bedroom, and buyers and lenders will treat it that way. Check how a suite is described in the listing against how it is actually built.

Living inside Kensington Market

This is about as central as a loft gets. Vintage shops, cafés, fruit and cheese shops and cheap food are outside your door, Chinatown is a block east on Spadina, and the University of Toronto and Queen West are both close. For someone who does not want to own a car, it works very well.

The trade-off is noise and activity. The streets are busy with crowds and traffic, especially on weekends and during Pedestrian Sundays. One loft guide also mentions that garbage odours from nearby businesses can be strong at times. If you are a light sleeper, look at a courtyard-facing suite.

The upside of that energy is that you rarely need to plan. Groceries, a bakery, a coffee and dinner are all within a few minutes on foot, and Bellevue Square Park is in the middle of the Market. For a lot of the buyers I meet, that street life is exactly the point.

The Market itself has resisted large-scale development, but Spadina and College have both seen new mid-rise projects. Expect some construction around the edges of the neighbourhood rather than inside it.

What the fee includes

Condos.ca lists the fee as covering common elements, heat, building insurance, water and parking. Parking in the fee is unusual in Kensington, where most buyers have no parking at all, so confirm that the suite you want actually comes with a deeded or exclusive-use spot.

The two active listings when I wrote this showed monthly fees between about $760 and $1,225. That is a wide spread, and it follows suite size and parking. Compare fees on a per-square-foot basis with heat and parking added back in before deciding whether a suite is expensive to carry.

The building is about 25 years past conversion, and parts of the structure are much older. Ask what the reserve fund study shows for roofs, windows, the garage and the courtyard landscaping, and whether any of that work has already been done.

What Kensington Market Lofts costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $826 per square foot. For a loft with tall ceilings and parking in the fee, that is reasonable against newer condos along Spadina and College, many of which ask more per square foot for standard ceilings and charge parking separately.

Two one-bedroom suites were listed for sale when I wrote this, with asking prices between about $624,000 and $850,000. The gap reflects size and layout more than anything else; a one-bedroom here can mean a compact loft or a large suite with a mezzanine.

Because the suites are so different from each other, a building average is only a starting point. Price a suite against similar layouts in the same building, and adjust for parking, outdoor space and whether it faces the street or the courtyard.

For recent resale figures, see the data panel on this page, or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Kensington Market Lofts

The amenity package is modest and social rather than fitness-focused: a courtyard, a party or multipurpose room and a rec room. There is no gym or pool to fund, and the Market and nearby parks fill the gap.

Jatin’s honest take on Kensington Market Lofts

Kensington Market 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.