Condo of the Week: $800,000 for a street-level loft in the middle of Kensington Market

Address: 21 Nassau Street, Unit 103
Neighbourhood: Kensington Market
Agent: John Maguire, Royal LePage Real Estate Services, Ltd., Brokerage
Price: $799,900
Previously sold for: $393,000, in 2003

The place

It’s the largest unit in a converted 1920s school. Most of the living space is on the main floor, which has high ceilings and big windows. There’s a rec room downstairs, a private front yard and access to shared courtyard.

Here’s the entrance and living area:

The dining area:

The guest bedroom:

The master bedroom:

And the master ensuite, updated in 2007:

And there’s a private, street-level porch:

The history

The building opened in 1924 as a public school and went on to serve as a military training facility. It was used by colleges for a number of years, most recently George Brown, which left the site in 1993. The province passed on a chance to buy the place for $7 in the late 1990s (it was a different time), but a group of developers and architects eventually paid about $1 million. By 2000, they’d turned the place into 145 condos. Kate Atherley, a knitting expert, and her film critic husband Norm Wilner bought this one in 2003. They held their wedding reception in the front yard in 2004.

Big selling point

The cozy basement makes an ideal home theatre. Wilner once screened a Hot Docs film for a jury down there, and it’s where he records episodes of his podcast. Among the actors who have graced the mauve carpet: Sarah Gadon, Connor Jessup, Aaron Abrams and Scott Thompson.

Possible deal breaker

The kitchen is original, and its laminate counters are dated—but the appliances all function, so the next owner will have some time to plan their redesign:

By the numbers

• $799,900
• 1,600 square feet
• $1,157 in monthly maintenance fees
• 2 bedrooms
• 2 bathrooms
• 1 parking space