Lofts: Rising above the ordinary


Lofts: Rising above the ordinary by Iain Wilson Real Estate News. May 8, 1992

"Everybody's seen them in the movies.

Tom Hanks lived in one while spending time as an adult in the movie Big.

Billy Crystal walked, sock-footed, along the hardwood floors of his while searching for lost love in When Harry met Sally.

Loft living is familiar to moviegoers, who instantly recognize the exposed brick walls, open spaces, hardwood floors and soaring ceilings as the quintessential New York experience.

But loft dwellers need not travel to New York City to find their perfect hideaways. Lofts, (the legal kind), are becoming well-established in Toronto, as some inner-city dwellers turn their backs on the post-war suburbs of their youths.

Older, established neighborhoods are, in turn, being rejuvenated by what city planners like to refer to as the intensification of pre-existing residential areas.

'There's a really strong demand for this kind of living.' says developer, Robert Mitchell, of Mitchell and Associates. 'I think it's always been popular. It's a niche market. As the developer of about one-half of Toronto's 300 to 400 legal units, Mitchell has been a catalyst for the burgeoning loft market in the city.

Work is being completed on Mitchell's Hepbourne Hall development on Hepbourne Street in the heart of the city.

Mitchell and Associates, a design and development firm. has converted the St. Paul's Dovercourt Presbyterian Church

Annex into residential space while retaining the architectural integrity of the original building.

The company preserved most of the exterior building, with its arched windows, corbelled parapets, solid masonry construction and stone-quoined and leaded-glass windows. Inside, Hepbourne Hall's 24 units are characterized by soaring ceilings, woodburning fireplaces, skylights and ultra-sleek design."

"Mitchell said loft living tends to attract individuals in creative fields. Owners in his buildings include media personalities, artists and at least one executive of an animation company.

Lofts provide a space that reflects their lifestyle, Mitchell said. 'They tend to gravitate to a space like this'"

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