Calgary Condo Building Guide · Lofts & Character Buildings

Calgary Lofts for Sale

Exposed brick, timber beams and tall windows in the old warehouses of the Beltline, plus heritage condos in Lower Mount Royal, Mission and Inglewood, all in one guide.

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7Loft and character condo buildings in this guide

1909Oldest loft warehouse (Lewis Lofts)

1993The first loft conversions begin

160Wholesale houses by the CPR line in 1913

Most of Calgary's loft condos are in the Beltline's old warehouse district, along 10 and 11 Avenue just south of the CPR tracks and Downtown, in brick warehouses built before the First World War. Four buildings there became loft condos in the early-to-mid 1990s: The Hudson, Manhattan Lofts, Lewis Lofts and Imperial Lofts. Heritage apartment and commercial blocks in Lower Mount Royal, Mission and Inglewood round out this guide, and the buildings in it range from 18 to 65 homes.

History

How Calgary's Warehouses Became Lofts

Warehouses went up south of the Canadian Pacific Railway tracks along 10 and 11 Avenue in the early 1900s, to handle goods arriving by train. The City of Calgary's heritage inventory calls the district a reminder of Calgary's place as the most important wholesale and distribution centre between Winnipeg and Vancouver, and the brick buildings that survive are what is left of that boom.

After 1903: a rail siding off the CPR main line is laid down the alley between 10 and 11 Avenue, from 5 Street SE to 6 Street SW, giving each warehouse its own rail access.
1906 to 1913: the number of wholesale houses around the CPR line grows from 64 to 160, according to the City's heritage inventory. The J.H. Ashdown warehouse (1909), the Pryce-Jones store (1911) and the Hudson's Bay Company warehouse (1912–13) all date from these years.
1993 to 1995: The Hudson is bought for conversion in 1993, the Pryce-Jones building becomes Manhattan Lofts in 1993–94, and the Ashdown warehouse becomes Lewis Lofts in 1994–95. Imperial Lofts, in a 1929 tobacco warehouse, follows in the same wave.
2003: the Connaught and Victoria Park districts are combined into today's Beltline.

Building Guides

Calgary Loft Building Guides

In-depth guides with verified building facts, reported features and what to check before you buy.

Beltline · warehouse district

Lewis Lofts

Lofts in the J.H. Ashdown hardware warehouse, one of Calgary's first warehouse-to-loft conversions.

Building guide → Beltline · 1 Street SW

Manhattan Lofts

Loft condos in the 1911 Pryce-Jones department store, one of Calgary's first loft conversions.

Building guide → Beltline · east warehouse district

Imperial Lofts

Loft condos in the 1929 Imperial Tobacco warehouse, near Victoria Park.

Building guide → Lower Mount Royal · near 17 Avenue SW

Anderson Apartments

A 1911–13 Provincial Historic Resource that was once Calgary's tallest and largest apartment building.

Building guide → Mission · near 4 Street SW

The Athlone

A 1940 Art Moderne apartment landmark in Mission, now 46 condos.

Building guide → Inglewood · 9 Avenue SE

The Dick Block (McGill Block)

A 1909–10 brick block on Inglewood's 9 Avenue, built by a couple who survived the Titanic.

Building guide →

All Loft Buildings

Every Loft and Character Condo Building in This Guide

Each building is confirmed as a condominium in City of Calgary records, with its history checked against at least two sources.

Building	Original building	Converted	Units	Heritage status	Median assessed value (2026)
Lewis Lofts 240 11 Avenue SW	1909 J.H. Ashdown Hardware warehouse, expanded 1910 and 1913	1994–95	59	City inventory (not designated)	$460,000
Manhattan Lofts 1117 1 Street SW	1911 Pryce-Jones Department Store	1993–94	25, plus 11 commercial	City inventory (not designated)	$608,500
Imperial Lofts 220 11 Avenue SE	1929 Imperial Tobacco warehouse	Early-to-mid 1990s	37	City inventory (not designated)	$345,500
Anderson Apartments 804 18 Avenue SW	1911–13 apartment block, once Calgary's tallest	Condo plan registered 2001	65	Provincial Historic Resource (1988)	$360,000
The Athlone 330 19 Avenue SW	1940 Art Moderne apartment building	Condo plan registered 2005	46	City inventory (not designated)	$244,000
The Dick Block (McGill Block) 812 8 Street SE (corner of 9 Avenue SE)	1909–10 brick block with shops below	Condo plan registered 1994	18, plus commercial	City inventory (not designated)	$304,500
The Hudson 535 10 Avenue SW	1912–13 Hudson's Bay Company warehouse	Bought for conversion in 1993	24, plus 7 commercial	City inventory (not designated)	$513,000

Units are residential condominium units, and values are the median 2026 assessment per unit; both come from City of Calgary property assessment data. For comparison, the median for all Beltline condo units is $301,500. Assessments are the City's estimate of market value for property tax, not sale prices; ask us for recent sales in a specific building.

The Hudson

535 10 Avenue SW

A five-storey brick warehouse built to serve the Hudson's Bay Company's department store and mail-order business, with a rear loading dock on the rail spur. City records list 24 homes, 24 titled parking stalls and 7 commercial units.

Map

Where Calgary's Lofts Are

Building locations from City of Calgary data · Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors

Heritage Rules

Buying a Loft in a Heritage Building

Almost every building in this guide is on the City of Calgary's heritage inventory, but what that means for owners depends on its status:

Inventory only (Lewis Lofts, Manhattan Lofts, Imperial Lofts, The Hudson, The Athlone, the Dick Block): being on the City's Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources recognizes a building but gives it no legal protection. The City reviews permits for these sites but can't refuse a demolition permit for heritage reasons.
Provincial Historic Resource (the Anderson Apartments, designated 1988): under Alberta's Historical Resources Act, no one may alter, restore or repair the protected parts of the building without the province's written approval.
Municipal Historic Resource: designation by City Council bylaw protects the elements the bylaw lists. Only designated sites (or sites being designated) qualify for the City's conservation grants, which cover up to half of an approved project's cost.

Ask the condo board

Is the building designated, and which parts are protected?
Has the corporation received heritage grants, and are any conditions attached?
What exterior, window and masonry work is planned in the reserve fund study?

What to check before you buy a loft

The reserve fund study: Alberta condo corporations must update it at least every five years. In a century-old warehouse, look closely at the roof, masonry, windows and mechanical systems.
The insurance deductible: since 2020 an Alberta condo corporation can charge an owner up to $50,000 of its deductible when a loss starts in that owner's unit, so match your own policy to it, especially with older plumbing.
Shops below: Manhattan Lofts, The Hudson and the Dick Block share their buildings with commercial units. Ask how costs are split between residential and commercial owners.
Sleeping lofts and bedrooms: in buildings of three storeys or less, a bedroom generally needs an openable outside window of at least 0.35 m² unless the suite is sprinklered. Confirm how a mezzanine or loft bedroom is legally described.
Parking: confirm whether a stall is titled, assigned or not included.
Renovations: Health Canada advises that buildings from before 1990 may contain asbestos, so test before you open walls or ceilings.
Sound: open plans, hard floors and tall ceilings carry noise. Visit at different times of day and read the flooring and renovation bylaws.

Before you firm up

Review the condo documents, reserve fund and bylaws with our condo document review guide, and run the numbers with our condo calculators.

FAQ

Calgary Loft Questions

Where are the lofts in Calgary?

Most of Calgary's loft condos are in the Beltline's old warehouse district, along 10 and 11 Avenue just south of the CPR tracks and Downtown, in brick warehouses built before the First World War. Lewis Lofts, The Hudson, Imperial Lofts and Manhattan Lofts (on 1 Street SW) are all within a few blocks of each other. Character condos in heritage buildings are also found in Lower Mount Royal (the Anderson Apartments), Mission (The Athlone) and Inglewood (the Dick Block).

What were Calgary's first loft conversions?

The City's heritage inventory records that the former Pryce-Jones Department Store (Manhattan Lofts) was the second historic Calgary building converted to lofts in the early 1990s, when three warehouses nearby were also renovated: The Hudson, Lewis Lofts and Imperial Lofts. The Hudson was bought for conversion in 1993 and Lewis Lofts was converted in 1994–95.

Why are there warehouses in the Beltline?

After 1903 a rail siding off the CPR main line was laid down the alley between 10 and 11 Avenue, from 5 Street SE to 6 Street SW, giving warehouses direct rail access. According to the City's heritage inventory, there were 64 wholesale houses around the CPR line in 1906 and 160 by 1913, when Calgary was the most important wholesale and distribution centre between Winnipeg and Vancouver.

Are Calgary lofts heritage buildings?

Most are on the City of Calgary's Inventory of Evaluated Historic Resources, but being on the inventory gives a building no legal protection. Only designation as a Municipal or Provincial Historic Resource does that. The Anderson Apartments is a Provincial Historic Resource, so changes to its protected features need provincial approval. None of the warehouse lofts in this guide is designated.

How much do lofts cost in Calgary?

There is no official loft price index. As a guide, City of Calgary 2026 assessments put the median unit at roughly $244,000 to $608,500 depending on the building, compared with $301,500 for all Beltline condo units. Assessments are the City's estimate of value, not sale prices.

Can a sleeping loft or mezzanine count as a bedroom?

Not automatically. In residential buildings of three storeys or less, a bedroom generally needs an openable outside window of at least 0.35 m², unless the suite is sprinklered, under Alberta's housing standards. Ask the seller and the condo corporation how the unit is legally described before you count the bedrooms.

Do Calgary lofts come with parking?

It depends on the building. Some loft conversions have titled parking stalls (City records list 24 at The Hudson, for example), while others have assigned stalls or none, so confirm what comes with the unit.

Sources for this page

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