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The grand opening of the Abbey Church Lofts next weekend will present a rare opportunity to buy a completed loft in a historic church conversion project in High Park.
Located at 384 Sunnyside Ave., south of Bloor Street and west of Roncesvalles Avenue, the designated heritage building houses 24 lofts that are ready for occupancy as soon as next month. "There are a few others [church conversion projects] in the city, but most that are available now for sale are in the presale, planning stage," says Edwin Brdlik, who is handling sales through his company, Toronto Lofts Realty Corp.
"With this one, you can see every unit, you're able to touch and feel it, and you know what you're buying.”
The stone building was formerly the Howard Park Methodist Church, built in 1910, amid Victorian, Edwardian and Tudor residences that were completed in the 1800s and 1900s.
The established community includes amenities, such as the subway, GO Train station and shops on Bloor Street. High Park lies to the west of the site, while the Gardiner Expressway and waterfront parks and trails are a short distance south.
"One of the appeals about [living in] the church is that [the suites are] located in a prime residential neighbourhood, on leafy green streets, versus the other style of lofts," in warehouses or office buildings in commercial or industrial districts, Mr. Brdlik notes.
Equally important is the uniqueness of the spaces, he adds.
Half of the units were sold during preview sales, but the remaining lofts each have a one-of-a-kind floor plan that incorporates original elements.
Some have stained-glass windows or 24-foot vaulted wood ceilings; others include wood and steel trusses or exposed stone and brick walls.
"That sort of thing is rare, and expensive to do," Mr. Brdlik says.
The two remaining bell tower lofts feature upper-level solariums with 360-degree views. "Those are really the exceptional units," he adds.
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Abbey Church Lofts
 LOCATION: High Park
BUILDER: Abbey Inc.
SIZE: 1,100 to 2,200 square feet
PRICE: $449,900 to more than $1-million
CONTACT: register at
(416) 538-5638 or www.theabbeylofts.ca
Various plans offer open-concept principal rooms, sunken living rooms, raised bedrooms and dens. Most master suites have en suite bathrooms and walk-in closets, and fireplaces in some instances.
Several lofts have patios, balconies and terraces discreetly tucked in corners and sloping rooflines of the building. "If you drove by and looked at it, it would just look like a church," Mr. Brdlik says.
The interiors are already outfitted with modern features, such as stainless-steel appliances and stone countertops in the kitchens.
Lofts include en suite laundry facilities, a locker and parking in a heated underground garage.
The monthly maintenance fee is 34 cents a square foot. Amenities include a recreation/meeting room.
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