Liberty Central Phase I, 51 East Liberty St: Curved Glass, Modest Fees

Liberty Central is the building I look at when a Liberty Village buyer is watching the monthly fee. The first tower at 51 East Liberty runs fees that come in noticeably lower per square foot than a lot of its neighbours, and its curved glass gives many suites a wider view than a flat tower would. It is a compact-suite building, and you should know that going in. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Two curved towers, built one after the other

CanAlfa Group planned Liberty Central by the Lake as a pair of glass towers on the south side of East Liberty Street, just west of Strachan. IBI Group designed them, and the first tower at 51 East Liberty was rising in 2014 after a slow, cold winter. The second phase at 49 East Liberty followed later, and was still under construction in 2019.

Construction reporting described the towers as 26 storeys; condos.ca lists 25 floors for this one, and a leasing company that manages rentals here also says 25. The difference is likely how the mechanical level is counted.

What you notice from the street is the curve. The towers bend so that more suites face east toward the downtown skyline and south toward the lake and the parkland, rather than straight into a neighbouring building. It is one of the more distinctive silhouettes in Liberty Village.

CanAlfa is a smaller Toronto developer than the big names that built most of Liberty Village. That is not a negative in itself, but it means there are fewer of its buildings to judge by. At ten years old, this building’s own track record, visible in the status certificate and board minutes, is the better evidence.

One-bedrooms at the core

Condos.ca puts the suite range at about 405 to 1,489 sq ft. All four suites for sale when I checked were one-bedrooms or one-plus-dens in the 500 to 799 sq ft range, which is the heart of this building and of Liberty Village generally.

Curved towers produce irregular plans. Some suites get a wide arc of glass and a living room that feels bigger than its square footage; others end up with angled walls that are harder to furnish. Look at the plan carefully and walk the suite with your furniture in mind.

A leasing company’s description claims every suite has a lake view. I would not rely on that. Views depend on floor, side and what has been built since, so confirm the view from the suite itself, ideally on a clear day.

For a single buyer, a one-plus-den in the 600 to 750 sq ft range is usually the sweet spot here: enough room for a desk or a guest bed, and the plan most tenants and future buyers look for. Very small suites are cheaper to enter but slower to resell.

Why the fee runs lower

Active listings here worked out to about $0.72 per square foot in monthly fees, well below the $0.90 to $1.10 I see in many downtown towers. The fee still includes heat, air conditioning and water, along with common elements and building insurance.

A lower fee is good news only if the reserve fund is healthy. Sometimes a low fee reflects efficient operations; sometimes it means the board has held increases down and work is being deferred. Read the reserve fund study and the last few budgets to see which applies before you treat the fee as a bargain.

Parking is not listed as included, so confirm whether the suite comes with a space and a locker and what they cost.

Remember also that fees across Liberty Village were set at different times by different developers. A building that started with a realistic budget tends to have steadier increases than one that started artificially low. Ask what the fee has done over the past five years, not just what it is today.

The east end of Liberty Village

At the Strachan end of East Liberty Street, you are on the edge of Liberty Village rather than in its middle. The restaurants, grocery and fitness studios of the village core are a short walk west, King West is north, and the Exhibition grounds and lakefront are south.

Liberty Village is dense, young and busy, with a lot of dogs and a lot of new towers. Phase II next door at 49 East Liberty and the Liberty Towers and Bliss buildings nearby are your direct comparables. If you like this building, look at Phase II too, since it is newer and shares the design.

The area keeps changing. More towers have gone up around East Liberty since this one was finished, and some views that were open in 2015 now look at a neighbour. That is another reason to judge the view from the suite rather than from the brochure.

What Liberty Central costs, and how the fee helps

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $829 per square foot. That is middle of the pack for Liberty Village and fair for a 2015 tower of mostly one-bedrooms.

When I checked, four suites were for sale, asking between about $489,000 and $599,000, with monthly fees between roughly $360 and $555. Four more were listed for lease. For what has actually traded, use the building sold report.

For an investor, the lower fee meaningfully improves monthly cash flow compared with a building at $1.00 per square foot. For an owner, it makes the total cost of living here easier to manage, provided the reserve fund supports it.

For a seller, the fee is a genuine selling point, and it should appear prominently in your marketing. Buyers in this price range compare total monthly cost closely, and a suite with a fee $150 a month lower than its neighbour’s competes well.

Building specifications

Amenities at Liberty Central by the Lake

A pool, a hot tub, a fitness room, a yoga studio and a rooftop terrace give this building a fuller package than its fee might suggest. Beanfield Fibre is available, which matters for the many Liberty Village residents who work from home.

Jatin’s honest take on Liberty Central by the Lake

Liberty Central by the Lake — 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.