The Brant Park, 39 Brant St: Mid-Century Modern Lofts on a Park

The Brant Park at 39 Brant Street is the building I point to when a buyer says every King West condo looks like the same glass box. Lamb Development and architectsAlliance gave it a white, gridded mid-century facade, and it faces one of the few proper green spaces west of Spadina. It is also a building full of small suites, so the right unit matters far more than the address. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1960s look, built in the 2010s

Most mid-rises west of Spadina go one of two ways. They copy the brick warehouses around them, or they put up blue-green glass. The Brant Park does neither. architectsAlliance drew on mid-century modernism and the International Style, so the facade is a grid of white stucco ribs with glazing filling each bay, and the top two levels get a bolder geometric frame.

Early coverage noted that the design looked a lot like Toronto’s Tower Hill Apartments, a 1969 building at St. Clair and Spadina. Whether or not that was the source, the result is a building you can pick out from down the block. That matters at resale more than people think, because buyers remember it.

The project also got bigger as it was planned. Lamb bought extra lots to the east, and the design grew from 14 bays to 20, running along Adelaide toward 410 Adelaide West. Retail at grade was part of the plan from the start.

The white ribs are not just decoration. They give each suite a clear frame around its window wall, and from inside, the grid reads as a series of picture windows rather than one continuous sheet of glass. That suits the park view across the street.

The park is the real amenity

The name is literal. Saint Andrew’s Park sits directly across Brant Street, and it is one of the larger green spaces in a neighbourhood that is mostly lanes, clubs and offices. Lamb’s marketing leaned hard on the mature trees, the paths and the fenced dog area, and for once the brochure is describing something real.

For dog owners this is the selling point. Most King West towers leave you walking several blocks to find grass. Here it is across the road. Clarence Square, another historic green space, is about two blocks to the southeast.

The trade-off is that a park attracts people at all hours. Suites facing Brant Street get the view and the light, but also the noise of the park and the street. If you sleep lightly, look at what each exposure faces before you fall for a layout.

Exposed concrete and small floor plans

Inside, this is a soft loft. Reviews of suites here describe exposed concrete, floor-to-ceiling windows and laminate floors, and some suites have internal staircases. It feels industrial without the draughty windows and old mechanical systems of a century-old warehouse conversion.

Suites start at about 368 square feet and top out near 1,466. Plenty of them sit at the small end, which tells you who the building was sold to: investors and first-time buyers who wanted a King West address at the lowest entry price. At that size, every column and every metre of hallway matters, so measure the usable space rather than trusting the total.

The suites with internal stairs are worth a separate look. A two-level layout makes a modest floor area feel much larger and separates sleeping from living, which is rare at this price point. They are also harder to furnish and less appealing to some older buyers, so they can take longer to sell. Know which group you are in before you pay a premium for one.

Exposed concrete has one more practical side. It is durable and it looks good for years, but it carries sound and it can feel cold. Plan for rugs and curtains, and ask the seller how the suite sounds when the neighbours above are home.

Living at Brant and Adelaide

This is the quieter, more residential edge of King West. You are a few minutes on foot from the restaurants on King and the shops on Queen West, and Spadina is just to the east. Brant Street itself is short and narrow, so it carries less traffic than Spadina or Bathurst.

The neighbourhood around you is still changing. More mid-rise condos have gone up along Adelaide and Richmond west of Spadina, matching the lower skyline the city wants here. Expect cranes nearby for years, but expect the area to keep filling in with residents rather than more nightclubs.

What The Brant Park costs per square foot

Listing data puts the building average at about $940 per square foot. That is a premium price for a 2017 mid-rise, and it reflects the location and the architecture more than the finishes. You pay it partly because so many suites are small, and small suites always carry a higher price per square foot.

Only one suite was listed for sale when I checked, which is too few to quote as a market. Rentals were more active, with five listings. With a thin resale supply, use the sold data in the panel on this page and ask me for recent comparables rather than anchoring on one asking price.

On fees, the listed inclusion is water only. That means heat, cooling and hydro are likely billed to you separately, so add those to the monthly cost when you compare this building with older lofts nearby that bundle heat into the fee. Confirm exactly what is included in the status certificate.

My rule of thumb here: compare the total monthly cost, not the fee. A small suite at The Brant Park with a low fee can end up costing about the same each month as a larger suite in an older building where heat is included, once utilities are added. Ask me for the building sold report if you want the recent sold numbers laid out.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Brant Park

The amenity list is modest: concierge, a gym and party room designed by II BY IV DESIGN, and guest suites. There is no pool. The park across the street does more for daily life here than anything inside the building.

Jatin’s honest take on The Brant Park

The Brant Park — 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.