Market Square I, 35 Church St: Big Suites Around a Courtyard Garden

Market Square I is where I send buyers who want a house-sized suite and a front door on St. Lawrence. This is the Church Street half of Jerome Markson’s early-eighties complex, eight storeys and 119 suites, with plans that start above 800 square feet and run past 3,000. It is old, it is quiet, and very few downtown buildings offer this much space. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The quieter half of Markson’s Market Square

Market Square is a two-building complex. The larger building faces St. Lawrence Market on Front Street; this one, Market Square I, runs along Church Street toward King. The Globe and Mail dates Markson’s design to 1980, and the complex is known for framing St. James Cathedral when you look north from Front Street.

Jerome Markson received the RAIC Gold Medal in 2022, and Market Square is one of his best-known residential works. Architect Paul Reuber, who has renovated suites here, has compared the complex to a touch of nineteenth-century Paris.

The two buildings have separate corporations. The Front Street building is MTCC-628; this one is MTCC-597. Make sure every document you read is for 35 Church Street, and ask how shared spaces such as the courtyard and recreation areas are split between the two corporations.

Suites that start where most downtown condos stop

Condos.ca puts suites at roughly 814 to 3,065 square feet. The small end of this building is the large end of most new towers. These are plans for people with furniture, books and guests, with separate kitchens and real dining rooms rather than an open-plan galley.

Listing descriptions for the building mention views over the interior courtyard and garden, and at least one upper-floor plan with a private rooftop terrace looking toward St. James Cathedral. Suites in the complex have been reworked by well-known Toronto designers and architects, so condition varies widely from one suite to the next.

Expect original eighties finishes in any suite that has not been renovated, and lower ceilings than a modern tower. The Globe described eight-foot ceilings and parquet floors in the Market Square suite it featured. Confirm the ceiling height and floor plan for the suite you are looking at.

What the fee covers, and what it leaves to you

Condos.ca lists common elements, cable TV, building insurance, parking and water as included. Heat and hydro are not on the list. In a 1,500 or 2,500 square foot suite, heating, cooling and hydro add up, so ask the seller for a year of bills.

Large suites also mean large fees in dollar terms, even at a moderate rate per square foot. Compare fees with the suite size in mind and with the inclusions side by side; a fee that looks high next to a one-bedroom in a tower is buying parking and a lot of shared floor area.

Parking is listed in the fee, which matters downtown. Confirm that the suite you are buying has a space and a locker, and how the space is deeded.

Renovating a suite here

Many buyers at Market Square I are buying a renovation as much as a suite. The Globe’s feature on a Market Square suite showed what a light touch can do: the designer reshaped a single foyer wall, removed carpet, refreshed lighting and kept original features such as the solarium, and the result changed the whole suite.

Before you plan anything bigger, ask the corporation for its renovation and alteration rules. Older buildings usually require board approval for changes to plumbing, flooring and walls, and many require acoustic underlay for hard floors. Work hours, elevator bookings and contractor insurance are also usually controlled.

Get a contractor through the suite before you firm up if the renovation is central to your decision. In a building of this age, what is behind the walls, from wiring to pipes, can change your budget, and it is better to know before you commit.

Living on Church Street, steps from the market

The daily life here is St. Lawrence Market across Front Street, St. James Park and the cathedral, the restaurants on Front and King, and the Financial District within a walk. The panel beside this review shows transit, groceries and parks.

Church Street is busy, but suites facing the interior courtyard are well removed from it. Weekend market crowds and evening restaurant traffic are part of the neighbourhood. The Globe noted that the complex has long drawn empty-nesters and creative people, and the courtyard is a big part of why it does not feel like a typical downtown condo.

What Market Square I costs

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $634 per square foot. That is low for the St. Lawrence neighbourhood, and the reasons are straightforward: very large suites always trade at a lower price per square foot, and many suites here need updating.

Only one suite was for sale and none for lease when I checked, so there is not enough on the market to give a fair asking range. Turnover in buildings like this is slow, and the right plan may take months to appear.

Because suites are so large, the total price is closer to a semi or a townhouse than to a typical condo. Compare it with those options, not with a one-bedroom tower suite. For past sales in this building and the Front Street building, I can prepare my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Market Square I

An indoor pool, sauna, gym, recreation room and rooftop deck is a full package for an eight-storey building, and listings for the complex also mention a squash court and courtyard garden. Confirm which facilities belong to this corporation and which are shared with 80 Front Street, and look for the pool in the reserve fund study.

Jatin’s honest take on Market Square I

Market Square I — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.