Tip Top Lofts.
The Art Deco building under the red Tip Top Tailors sign — mushroom concrete columns, fifteen-foot ceilings on the original floors, and the lake out the front window.
(01)The building
What it actually is.
Built in 1929 as the warehouse, factory and head office of Tip Top Tailors, this is one of Toronto's most recognisable Art Deco buildings: a monumental concrete base, geometric ornament, and the red rooftop sign that has been there since the beginning.
Context Development converted it in 2005–2006 into 256 lofts, adding several new storeys above the original roofline and re-mounting the sign on top. The lower, original floors are true hard lofts — the mushroom-capped concrete columns are the signature, with ceilings reaching about fifteen feet and exposed ductwork. The added upper floors are modern soft lofts, largely glass.
West and south-facing suites look over the National Yacht Club and the lake. Amenities include a rooftop deck, exercise room, sauna, party and meeting rooms and visitor parking.
(02)Honestly
What I like, and what I'd check.
No building is all upside. These are the things I'd raise with you standing in the lobby.
What I like
- Mushroom concrete columns and ceilings up to roughly fifteen feet in the original floors.
- Lake, yacht club and skyline views, and the waterfront trail at the door.
- A landmark address — the sign is a genuine piece of the city.
- Rooftop deck and sauna, plus a park next door.
What I'd check
- Lake Shore and the Gardiner are right there. Traffic noise is real; test it with the windows open.
- Transit is a walk rather than a step, and the area gets windy and exposed in winter.
- Original floors and added floors are different products at different prices — know which you're in.
- Heritage façade maintenance is an ongoing cost line; check the reserve fund.
(03)Next step
Ask me about Tip Top.
Tell me what you're after and I'll come back with what's actually available at Tip Top Lofts right now, what sold or leased there recently, and the buildings nearby worth seeing on the same afternoon.