Kensington Market Lofts I

21 Nassau St and 160 Baldwin St are both the addresses to these wonderful lofts in the heart of Kensington Market.

Twenty-one Nassau was a school in the 1920s and then a campus of George Brown College. In 1999, the building and its back-door neighbour at 160 Baldwin St. were converted into lofts by Context Development Inc., the same group that did the Tip Top Tailor and Loretto Abbey conversions. Kensington Market Lofts is a brilliant example of adaptive re-use in Toronto, thanks to the work of Context Developments. The buildings had served educational purposes for many decades – most notably as a campus of George Brown College up until the mid 1990s.

The rejuvenation and re-integration of the building into the neighbourhood is yet another example of the Market’s tremendous adaptability and fluidity. With its eclectic mix of vintage stores, green grocers, specialty markets and vibrant cafe’s and bars, Kensington remains on of the most dynamic and exciting neighbourhoods in the city.

Today, the Nassau Building is a 61-unit, 4-story building with terraced street level units and 1-2 bedroom lofts. The Baldwin Building is a 6-story building with 79 condo apartments with the top level set back to create terraced penthouses. The Kensington Market Lofts feature a rooftop garden to help reduces heating and air conditioning costs as well as reduce rainwater runoff. The buildings are heated and cooled by an efficient central system which reduced energy consumption overall. Water is also heated in a central source to reduce energy costs. The interiors of the original Kensington Market Lofts suites contain many recycled and environment-friendly elements such as recycled concrete and glass counter tops, bamboo and cork floors.