West 833, 833 King St W: A 1934 Art Deco Factory With Hydro in the Fee

West 833 is the building I suggest to King West buyers who want history and a park out the window instead of another glass tower. Half of it is a heritage-designated 1934 Art Deco factory, widely remembered as the old perfume factory; the other half is a 1998 brick and glass addition, and together they hold just 52 lofts beside Stanley Park. The fee also covers hydro, which almost nothing else on this strip does. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A heritage Art Deco factory, and a newer wing

The original building went up in 1934 for the Charles Hansen Canadian Laboratory, and it is the part people mean when they call this the perfume factory. The City of Toronto designated it under the Ontario Heritage Act in 2007, describing it as a small industrial building that blends Art Moderne flat roofs and horizontal windows with Art Deco angles and applied ornament.

The architect was E. L. (Earle) Sheppard, who specialized in industrial buildings in Toronto from 1919. His plan follows an awkward, angled lot, which gives the building its stepped outline. The city’s designation calls it a local landmark on King Street, with Stanley Park to the west.

In 1998, Triloft Developments converted the old building into lofts and added a new section of brick and glass with prominent balconies. Condos.ca describes the addition as seven storeys, while one loft directory lists the building at ten storeys overall. Either way, you are choosing between two very different products under one corporation.

The building’s heritage status is not new. The factory was on the city’s first heritage inventory in 1973, a heritage easement agreement was registered in 1997 as the conversion got under way, and the formal designation followed in 2007. The protected features include the stepped plan, the north facade on King, the west elevation and the flat roofline.

Hard lofts, soft lofts, and ceiling heights

The 52 suites are a mix of hard lofts in the old factory and soft lofts in the addition. Published descriptions put suites at roughly 700 to over 1,600 sq ft, with one- and two-level plans and open layouts that use partial walls to keep the light moving.

Ceilings start at about 10 feet and reach roughly 18 feet in some two-level suites. Some units have exposed brick, and large windows are standard across the building.

If character is the point for you, focus on the factory side. If you want a balcony, a more conventional layout and newer construction, the addition is usually the better fit. Ask which part of the building a suite is in before you book the showing, because the listing photos do not always make it obvious.

One corporation also means one budget. Owners in the glass addition share the cost of maintaining heritage masonry and windows on the factory, and owners in the factory share the cost of the addition’s balconies and glazing. That is normal, but it is worth understanding before you assume your side of the building is the cheaper one to own.

A fee that includes hydro

The fee covers common elements, heat, hydro, water, air conditioning, building insurance and parking. Hydro in the fee is rare in Toronto, and parking in the fee is uncommon on King West. Your own monthly bills are mostly internet and contents insurance.

That inclusion list makes the fee look high next to newer buildings, but the comparison is misleading unless you add a separate hydro bill, heating and a parking charge back onto the other building. Ask for the current budget and look at how much of it goes to utilities, because utility costs rise across every owner at once.

Condos.ca lists FirstService Residential as manager. In a building with 52 suites and a full utility package, a large management firm can help with procurement, but you still want to read how the board has handled rate increases.

Beside Stanley Park, between King West and Liberty Village

The location is the other half of the case. Stanley Park sits right next door, which owners with dogs appreciate, and the rooftop terrace looks over it. King West’s restaurants and bars are an easy walk east, and Liberty Village is a short walk south-west.

Living here day to day means a park as your front yard and a busy street at your back door. King Street brings streetcars, traffic and late-night crowds on weekends, so check which way a suite faces and how high it sits before you decide. Visit on a Friday night as well as a weekday morning.

Sources describe the corner differently: condos.ca places the building at King and Niagara, while the city’s heritage by-law places the original factory at the south-east corner of King and Walnut. Either way, the old factory looks west over Stanley Park.

What West 833 costs

No suites were listed for sale or for lease when I checked, and condos.ca did not show a building average per square foot. With 52 suites, listings are infrequent, and a factory loft and an addition suite in the same month can trade at very different prices.

When pricing a suite here, I compare it with other King West hard lofts for factory-side units, and with mid-rise condos near Niagara and Bathurst for addition units. Then I adjust for the fee: because hydro, heat and parking are included, a fair comparison adds those costs back onto the competing building.

If you want a value check on a specific suite, I can pull recent sales and leases through my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at West 833

For a 52-suite building, the amenity list is decent: a gym, party, meeting and recreation rooms, and a rooftop terrace with a barbecue overlooking Stanley Park. There is no pool or concierge to fund, which helps offset the cost of including utilities.

Jatin’s honest take on West 833

West 833 — frequently asked questions

Looking at Queen West, Trinity-Bellwoods, Kensington and Little Italy more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.