Creed Lofts – 295 Davenport Road

The Creed lofts are housed in an old fur storage warehouse in the heart of The Annex, one of the only loft conversions in the area

History of the Creed Lofts

This is one of the rare lofts in the Annex, which is mostly home to old Victorian homes. Who doesn’t love the historic Creed’s Storage Vaults, which used to store furs up until the late 1980s, at which point it was converted into these lofts? Gorgeous and rare, they don’t come up for sale very often.

The current facade of the old Creed building, with a lot more windows than it originally had

Designed by architect H.G. Duerr to store furs, this building was constructed in 1937 following the widening of Davenport Road in the 1930s. Its horizontal orientation and curved façade are characteristic of the Streamlined Moderne style. After Creed Furs sold the building in 1988, renovations were completed and it was converted to residential lofts a decade later in 1998 by TTH Developments.

The Bedford side of the Creed Lofts in 1948

The 19 units in the low-rise Art Deco building once used to store furs for Creeds, the fabled department store partially credited with changing Yorkville from boho to high-end. With the Annex dominated by Victorian houses and Yorkville flush with glassy new condos, a centrally located hard loft is a rare find. This building is one of only a few in the area with both soaring ceilings and a historic back story.

The 2012 Heritage Toronto plaque that gives a short history of the old Creed Storage Vault

It is also one of few Art Deco lofts in Toronto, one of a very small cadre of Art Deco buildings left at all. It is also one of the only lofts in Yorkville or the Annex. The Creed Lofts are upscale lofts with mostly multi-level units with skylights or windows onto an atrium light well. Most have patios or terraces, hardwood and gas fireplaces. The top level was added on during the conversion process to allow for access to the rooftop patios.

One of the above-mentioned rooftop patios

The Creed Lofts offer one-of-a-kind contemporary loft living in the heart of the city at Davenport and Bedford Roads. Probably the greatest appeal of these converted lofts is the location. The old Creed building is just steps to Yorkville and the trendy shops and restaurants of Avenue Road. The location makes the Creed building a favorite for many upscale professionals.

Large open spaces with multiple levels and outdoor space

A few units offer direct street access and a townhouse-like design. Most units have private terraces. Many of the units have hardwood floors, gas fireplaces, spacious open kitchens and large rooms, although features vary specifically from unit to unit. Other characteristics in many of the units are high or multi-level ceilings, floor to ceiling windows, stainless steel appliances & custom Paris kitchens. The Creed Lofts range from roughly 800 to 1,200 square feet, with ceilings up to 13 feet. Condo fees are reasonable (utilities extra) and due to its small size there are no facilities.

Don’t expect a lot of vintage features, this might be one of the only lofts with any visible brick

In a time when Yorkville was more bohemian, that upscale, the curved brick building was used to store furs until bankruptcy hit in the late 80s. The low-rise building was constructed just before the millennium, consisting of 19 chic loft-style units, the largest around 2,100 square feet. For Architect Bernard Watt, a “labour of love” may be an understatement. Watt has spent the last 21 years recycling marginally used buildings in downtown Toronto, including the legendary Creed loft conversion.

These are certainly luxury lofts

Creeds was a Toronto family-owned high-end women’s clothier founded as a furrier in 1916. During the 1930s Creeds branched into coats and suits and by the 1950s, fashions were being made under their own label by top European manufacturers. In 1974 Creeds was an entire mini-department store that was last located at 45 Bloor Street West in the Manulife Centre (Creeds’ former space is now partially occupied by William Ashley China).

Shot of Creeds’ front window when they were at the Manulife Centre

Creeds was approximately 35,000 square feet over two floors and featured several exclusive shop-in-store boutiques. It introduced Canada to Chanel with an elegant in-store Chanel Boutique. Creeds also included shops for Christian Dior, Emanuel Ungaro, Sonia Rykiel, Michael Kors and Krizia. Also included were a world-class fur salon, some gourmet food brands, cosmetics and jewellery.

While they tend to be more condo-y than lofty, people still love the Creed Lofts

The store was regarded highly for its luxurious interior as much as it was for its quality fashions and furs. Creeds was just one of many Canadian retailers that succumbed to the recession of the late 1980s. After selling the building in 1988, The company filed for bankruptcy protection in 1990 and closed the following year.