Le Corbu Lofts, 194 Merton St: 34 Hard Lofts in a Converted Office

Le Corbu Lofts is one of the few genuine hard-loft conversions in Davisville, and it is small enough that most people who walk past on Merton Street have no idea it is there. It has 34 open suites, a rooftop deck and a fee that covers heat and cooling, but almost nothing ever comes up for sale, so the hard part is getting in. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An office building turned into 34 lofts

Le Corbu started life as an office building and was converted into lofts, with the condominium registered in 2003. Condos.ca describes it as one of the city’s true hard lofts and calls the design art deco inspired. The name itself is a nod to Le Corbusier, the modernist architect who argued for open plans and plenty of light.

That lineage shows in the suites. Office floors were built with wide spans and big windows, and those are what you want in a loft: open space you can arrange as you like and light across the whole unit. A hard loft also usually means concrete, exposed structure and fewer interior walls than a soft loft built new.

I could not find the name of the original building, its architect or the conversion architect, and the developer is listed only as a numbered company. If the history matters to you, the status certificate and the corporation’s own records are the place to look.

Open layouts, and what to watch in them

Suites run from about 703 to 1,343 square feet across five floors, so the building is mostly one-bedroom and two-bedroom lofts, with no tiny studios. Condos.ca describes the suites as open concept, which in a converted office usually means the bedroom is defined by partial walls, sliding panels or a mezzanine rather than four full walls.

That is a great format for one person or a couple and a harder sell for a family or room-mates. When you view, check whether the bedroom has a door and a window, where the sound goes when one person is up early, and how much closet space there really is. Converted office buildings are often deeper than they are wide, so the back of the suite can be darker than the front.

Look closely at the windows and the mechanical systems too. Heating and cooling in an office conversion were adapted for homes, and some of the original choices may now be more than 20 years old. Ask what has been replaced and what is planned.

A fee that covers heat and cooling

The fee here includes common elements, heat, air conditioning, water and building insurance. Air conditioning in particular is worth noting, because in a loft with big windows the summer cooling bill is often higher than the winter heating one, and in this building it is pooled.

Hydro is not listed, so you will pay for your own lights and appliances. Parking is not listed either. Condos.ca does not show a parking garage among the amenities for this building, so if you need a car, confirm whether the suite comes with a space, where it is and what it costs before you make an offer.

The building permits barbecues and condos.ca notes that pets are allowed, which is useful on a rooftop-deck building. Check the exact rules in the declaration before you rely on either.

Merton Street and Davisville

Merton Street runs east from Yonge just north of Mount Pleasant Cemetery and beside the Kay Gardner Beltline, a former rail line turned walking and cycling trail. Le Corbu is at the eastern end, near Mount Pleasant Road, so the shops and restaurants of Davisville Village and Mount Pleasant are a short walk; the data panel on this page has the transit and school detail.

It is a quieter end of the street. Towers have been climbing at Yonge and Davisville, and Merton itself now has newer rental and condo buildings toward Yonge. Le Corbu sits apart from most of that, and with five storeys it is the sort of building that fits the low-rise streets to the north.

The flip side is that a large new building on Merton or Mount Pleasant could change the light or the view from the rooftop. Ask what has been proposed on the nearest sites, and check the City’s development applications map before you buy.

Pricing: a hard loft at Davisville prices

Condos.ca puts the average at about $896 per square foot. That is almost exactly in line with The Metro, the much larger soft-loft complex further west on Merton Street, at about $903, and above SoHo Lofts on Eglinton East at about $817. For a true hard loft in this part of midtown, I think that is a fair number rather than a premium.

There were no suites for sale or rent when I checked. In a building of 34 suites that is normal, and it means the per-foot average can move noticeably on one sale. Use it as a rough guide, not a price for the suite in front of you. If you are serious about this building, set up an alert so you hear about a suite the day it lists, and have your financing ready, because supply here is so thin.

The better guide is the sold and leased medians in the data panel or my building sold report. When a suite does come up, remember to price parking separately if it is not attached, and to factor in that heat and cooling are already in the fee.

Building specifications

Amenities at Le Corbu Lofts

A rooftop deck, a gym and a sauna are a better package than most 34-suite buildings offer. The rooftop is the one you will use most, and with this few neighbours it rarely feels crowded.

Jatin’s honest take on Le Corbu Lofts

Le Corbu Lofts — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.