25 Oxley St., penthouse 6, Toronto
What: A two-storey loft in the Gläs condominium building near the intersection of King and Spadina. Penthouse 6 has two bedrooms and three bathrooms, with 1,533 square feet of living space.
Asking price: $869,900
Taxes: NA
Agent: Brad J. Lamb Realty Inc. (Robin John Pope)
Real-estate agent Robin John Pope watches a car glide into a cavernous opening in the side of the Gläs building at King and Spadina. Metal gates close behind the rear bumper and the car disappears.
"I was watching James Bond in Live and Let Die on the weekend and they had a parking lift like that," says Mr. Pope of the elevator that delivers the car to the underground garage.
"More than 30 years later - we finally have that in Toronto," he says, wondering what took the city so long.
The ultra-efficient parking suits the high style of Gläs, says Mr. Pope, though most residents seem to travel on foot or bicycle anyway.
"It attracts a younger set of people - not necessarily in age but in thinking," says Mr. Pope.
The neighbourhood has a burgeoning supply of new places to live, with lofts, condo units and townhouses filling the spaces that used to be filled with machinery and garment workers. Restaurants, grocery stores, nightclubs, gyms and a liquor store have also moved in.
The first residents began arriving at Gläs more than a year ago. Penthouse 6 is one of the new two-level penthouses that have never been lived in.
Inside, the unit offers exposed concrete walls that stretch to a ceiling height of 11 feet, stainless-steel staircase and trim, and, naturally, plenty of glazing.
On the lower level, the unit provides two bedrooms, a den and two bathrooms. The floor-to-ceiling windows provide views over a nearby park, the Rogers Centre, the CN Tower and King Street West, with glimpses of Lake Ontario in the distance. Additional buildings will rise in the area so the view will gradually fill in more than it has already, says Mr. Pope.
The agent notes that the master suite in Penthouse 6 offers a well-appointed bathroom.
"It's quite pretty."
The den could be converted to a third bedroom, he adds.
The upper level provides the main living area, with combined kitchen, dining and living room. There's a door to a spacious terrace.
Mr. Pope says that the architect's decision to put the main living area upstairs means that residents and their guests have an easier route to the outdoors through the common space while the bedrooms remain private. The open living space is also flooded with light.
"I find that these are very well-executed," he says.
The kitchen offers Italian-made white cabinets, European appliances and a five-burner gas range. The microwave slides away under the countertop. The unit also has a gas line for a barbeque on the terrace.
Mr. Pope says the price of penthouse 6 seems quite reasonable compared with other units in the neighbourhood close to the financial district.
"This is within the grasp of a lot of people."
Carolyn Ireland