WEST Condos, 89 Niagara St: Twin Towers Behind an 1887 Casket Factory

WEST Condos is where I send buyers who want a brand-new building near King West without paying King West tower prices. It is a pair of white-clad towers, 12 and 14 storeys, rising behind an 1887 factory on a quiet stretch of Niagara Street, and the corporation was only registered in November 2024. Being new is both its strength and the reason you need to read the paperwork closely. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A casket factory, a long approval and a new owner

The site’s history is longer than the building’s. The Niagara Street frontage holds a row of late-1800s industrial buildings, including an 1887 factory used by a casket maker. UrbanToronto has named the company as both the National Casket Company and the Essery Manufacturing Company in different articles, and the later phase is being marketed as The Essery.

The plan was first proposed by Jerudan Developments in 2012, with towers of 15 and 19 storeys. Heights were approved at 12 and 14 storeys in 2014, and Aspen Ridge Homes bought the property in 2017 and took it through site plan approval. The heritage factory is being kept, and it was planned to hold mainly commercial space, with condo suites in the converted 1887 building as well.

Construction started in 2020, the east tower topped off in early 2023, and first occupancies were weeks away in August 2023. The corporation for this phase was registered in November 2024.

Two towers on a black podium

Core Architects designed the current scheme, replacing an earlier version by Bernard Watt. Two towers sit on a shared six-storey podium set behind the factory. The podium is clad in black with heavy window frames, while the towers are wrapped in white panels set in irregular, Tetris-like patterns. A glass-walled indoor bridge on top of the podium connects the two towers.

The result is easy to spot from Niagara Street, and it reads very differently from the glass towers around King and Bathurst. The podium’s scale and finishes were chosen to sit comfortably behind the old factory rather than overwhelm it.

Interiors are by Mike Niven Interior Design, and an early description of the amenity spaces included a games room. Landscape design was by The MBTW Group and W Architect.

How many units, and which are condos

Unit counts for this project vary more than usual. The 2018 site plan coverage reported 320 condominium units, a 2023 construction update said 345, UrbanToronto’s project database lists 287 and describes the project as a condominium and rental building, and condos.ca records 272 units for this corporation.

The most likely explanation is that the figures cover different phases and tenures, with the heritage Essery phase and any rental component counted separately. I could not confirm the split. If you are buying, ask the property manager exactly which towers and units belong to TSCC-3080 and whether any part of the complex is a separate rental building or a separate corporation, because that affects shared costs and facilities.

Condos.ca records suites from about 400 to 1,200 square feet, which points to a building made up mostly of studios, one-bedrooms and compact two-bedrooms, with a smaller number of larger plans.

Buying in a building this new

TSCC-3080 was registered in November 2024, so the corporation is in its first years. That is when the developer hands control to an owner-elected board, the first reserve fund study is completed and early deficiencies are worked through with the builder under the Tarion warranty.

None of this is unusual, but it is a period to watch. Ask for the most recent board minutes, the performance audit of the common elements if it has been done, and a list of open warranty items. Pay particular attention to the connecting bridge, the podium roof and the joints where new construction meets the heritage factory, because those are the more complicated parts of this building.

The heritage component is also part of what you are buying. The retained factory gives this stretch of Niagara Street a character that new construction alone does not, and it is the reason the building does not look like every other tower near King and Bathurst. Just make sure you understand who owns and maintains the old building, and whether its upkeep is shared with your corporation.

Niagara Street, day to day

Niagara is a residential pocket of low-rise homes and townhouses between King West and the rail lands, and the towers rise well above their immediate neighbours. That gives upper floors open views, and it keeps the street itself quieter than King.

King West’s restaurants, Stanley Park and the shops along Bathurst are within a short walk. New towers continue to go up across the wider King West and Wellington area, so expect some construction nearby for a while. Transit, schools and parks are shown in the data panel.

Entry-level prices for a new building

Condos.ca does not yet publish a building average per square foot for WEST, which is normal for a building that registered in late 2024 and has few resales on record.

Four suites were for sale when I checked, from a small one-bedroom up to a three-bedroom, asking roughly $400,000 to $800,000. That makes WEST one of the lower-priced ways into a new building this close to King West. Fees across those listings ran from about $515 to $950 a month, or roughly $1.09 per square foot.

Fees cover common elements, building insurance and water, so heat and hydro are separate. In a newly registered building, fees are based on the developer’s first-year budget and often rise once the corporation has real operating costs, so do not assume today’s fee is the long-term number. My building sold report can track what suites actually trade for as resales build up.

Building specifications

Amenities at WEST Condos

Condos.ca does not yet list amenities for this building, and early coverage only mentions a games room by Mike Niven. Tour the amenity floors yourself and ask what is open, finished and included before you rely on any brochure list.

Jatin’s honest take on WEST Condos

WEST Condos — 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.