Noble Court Lofts, 24 Noble St: An Early Hard Loft at an Entry Price

Noble Court Lofts is where I start when a buyer wants a genuine hard loft and has a starter budget. It is one of the earliest loft conversions in the city, a five-storey red-brick building on a short street just off Queen West near Dufferin, and most of its suites are studios and one-bedrooms. It has an artist-studio history that still shows in the building, and a few practical quirks you need to know about. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One of the city’s first loft conversions, with a mixed backstory

Noble Court is regularly described as one of Toronto’s pioneering hard loft conversions, and the dates support that: the condominium corporation, MTCC-931, was registered at the end of 1990, years before the loft wave of the late 1990s and 2000s.

The building’s earlier life is less clear. One profile describes a 1910 warehouse later used as commercial space, Toronto Life calls it a former toy factory, and The Globe and Mail describes an old red-brick mill that was refurbished as offices in the late 1980s before becoming live-work condos in the mid-1990s. Another source says it was rezoned for live/work use in 1995, which drew artists. I cannot reconcile those fully, so I give you all of them.

The developer is also reported two ways: condos.ca and one building profile name Greenwin, and another source names Greenwich Properties. The registration date and corporation number are the reliable anchors.

Small suites, real loft bones

This is a building of small homes. One profile breaks the mix down as roughly a third studios, about half one-bedrooms, and only a small share of one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom suites. Sizes run from about 350 sq ft at the small end to a little over 1,100 sq ft; one source reports up to about 1,300.

The bones are what you would hope for: exposed brick, heavy wood posts and beams, sandblasted wood ceilings, exposed pipes and ductwork, wood floors and large warehouse windows. Ceiling height is given as about 11 feet by two sources and 10 feet by another, so measure the suite you are considering.

Suites differ a lot. Some have been thoroughly upgraded, and a few are reported to be close to their original artist-studio condition. One source also notes that some lower-level suites have their own exterior doors and sit partly below grade. Those can work well for a studio or home business, but check light, moisture and privacy carefully before you buy one.

With so many studios, think about how you will actually live in one open room. A good studio here has a clear sleeping area, enough closet space and windows that let you separate day from night; a poor one feels like a hallway. Bring a tape measure and a floor plan.

Parking is shared, not owned

This is the practical quirk that catches buyers. Two sources report about 20 parking spaces for the whole building, and they are not deeded or assigned to specific suites: they are used on a first-come basis. With roughly 75 to 79 suites, most owners do not have parking, and many residents cycle instead. Bike storage is available.

If you need a car space every day, this is a real limitation, and you should not rely on a listing that says parking is available. Ask the manager how the spaces are actually allocated in practice and whether there is a waiting list.

The flip side is that a building where most owners do not drive puts less pressure on its handful of spaces. If you are car-free already, the shared parking is not a drawback at all, and it is one reason the price of entry here stays where it is.

A community building on a side street

Noble Street is a short street just north of Queen West, so you get the Queen West strip, Parkdale and the Dufferin area on foot, with the quiet of a side street at home. The Brock Lofts, another early factory conversion, is around the corner on Brock Avenue.

The building has a reputation for its residents. Press coverage has described artists and musicians among the owners, and one profile mentions a gardening team, an annual garage sale and a building Facebook group. For a 75-plus-suite building with almost no shared amenities, that sense of community is worth something, and it is a good sign for how the corporation is run.

Pricing: among the most affordable hard lofts, by total price

Condos.ca does not publish a building average per square foot for Noble Court. One building profile shows averages of about $1,100 per square foot for studios, about $1,165 for one-bedrooms and about $1,035 for one-bedroom-plus-den suites, and ranks it as the highest per-foot building among the Parkdale condos it tracks. Those per-foot figures are high because the suites are small; by total price, this remains one of the more accessible ways to own a genuine hard loft in the west end.

There was only one suite for sale on condos.ca when I checked, so I cannot give you a fair asking range. Press commentary has made the point that true ex-industrial lofts are a small slice of the Toronto condo market and that supply cannot grow, which is the core argument for why this building has held its appeal.

Fees are described by several sources as low, and condos.ca lists them as covering common elements and water. Heat and hydro arrangements should be confirmed suite by suite; one source notes the heating systems have been upgraded over the years. Ask for the current fee schedule and budget. For the building’s recorded trades, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Noble Court Lofts

The amenity list is minimal: security, bike storage, visitor parking and, according to one source, a small multi-purpose room. That is a large part of why fees here are described as low.

Jatin’s honest take on Noble Court Lofts

Noble Court Lofts — frequently asked questions

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