5 Hanna Avenue

The creators of the commercial Liberty Market Building, BLVD and Lifetime Developments, have done it once again — this time with a mixed-use live/work building at 5 Hanna Avenue. So while the developers refer to the Liberty Market Building as the heart of Liberty Village neighbourhood, the Liberty Market Lofts are the soul.

Designed by prizewinning architect Rudy Wallman, the 300 soft lofts at 5 Hanna are in fact zoned as live/work spaces. This provides buyers a sense of freedom — in the spirit of the neighbourhood itself (hence the name) — to use these spaces as they please.

At a modest 8 storeys tall, the Liberty Market Lofts are a designer’s dream. Traditional red brick underscores the area’s history, interwoven with horizontal panes of glass for a perfect balance of old and new.

While some structures in Liberty Village have a more historical edge, the Liberty Market Lofts benefit from their rather recent construction date. Built in 2013, BLVD and Lifetime made certain that modern-day residents would get the contemporary amenities they deserve.

Among the more conventional amenities at 5 Hanna are a gym with half basketball court and yoga studio, parking, a concierge, a party room, and security. Specific facilities catering to the inspired minds that choose to call Liberty Village their home, on the other hand, include an art gallery and a studio equipped with tools and a workbench to get those creative energies flowing. The building is also so pet friendly that it features grooming facilities for those especially furry residents.

With such a large number of units, the homes at the Liberty Market Lofts range considerably in size. For this reason, those looking for a cozy place to rest one’s head at the end of a long day at the office might live down the hall from a young family or a graphic designer.

Sizes range from approximately 350 at the smallest to the more sprawling 1,600 square foot units. These Toronto lofts span either one or two storeys — those comprising two levels benefit from double height ceilings with windows reaching all the way up to 17 feet high. Furthermore, some of these multi-level units are arranged in a hard to come by mezzanine style.

Even the single-storey lofts at 5 Hanna are exceptionally bright. Rays of sunlight illuminate the homes through walls made entirely of window panes. The open concept floor plans additionally usher light into every corner of the the building. These blank slate layouts also allow each resident to format their home to their heart’s desire.

As well, outdoor spaces are never lacking at the lofts at 5 Hanna — homes boast balconies or even rooftop terraces for those especially fortunate residents. While units in this building might be expensive compared to other condos in the neighbourhood, they're quite affordable when you examine the prices of Toronto condos for sale in neighbouring areas like King West.

Garnering its title from place where prisoners were liberated once their time at one of the local prisons had been served, Liberty Village has since come a long way. Following the closures of these jails, the area became home to many of Toronto’s factories, some of which were fully functioning up until the late 1900s. Today, the area has a reputation for being home to trendy urban professionals, as well as media, technology, and design companies.

The area was in fact one of the city’s select master-planned communities. With its distinctive branding as a hotbed for creative industries and trendsetting residents, Liberty Village stands out from other Toronto neighbourhoods. The Liberty Village Business Improvement Area (BIA), the first in the city not to focus on retail, even posits the neighbourhood as a “campus-style community,” which has much to say about how local residents feel about one another.

Aside from the myriad of shops and restaurants, sporting stadium, indoor rock climbing gym, and more, Liberty Village also shares borders with a number of exciting Toronto neighbourhoods; Parkdale neighbourhood, Queen West, Trinity Bellwoods, and more are all within close reach.

In the spirit of community problem-solving, residents of Liberty Village once came together to crowd-fund their own bus service to escort commuters to Union Station during rush hour. While the TTC’s monopoly on public transit put a halt to this route shortly after, these campaigning residents were successful in having the city add additional buses along King Street during busier hours.

Those who rely on public transit to get around can use the 509 Exhibition Place streetcar or those running along King Street West to reach the financial district, the subway, or neighbourhoods further east. Alternatively, the Queen streetcar service runs 24 hours a day, and is only a short walk from the lofts at 5 Hanna.

Drivers can access the Gardiner Expressway via Jameson Avenue, a fast-paced route that travels along the southern edge of the city. From here, residents can connect with the 427 to the west, the Don Valley Parkway to the east, or major arterial roads in between.