Written by: Elliot Funt, Real Estate Advisor, Engel & Völkers Vancouver
My Favourite Two-Level Loft Buildings In Vancouver
Listed alphabetically by street name within sub-areas.
Note that there are some buildings that are semi-lofts, though are essentially just townhouses with minuscule open areas; I am purposefully not including such units in this list as it would be 3x as long and super boring.
This list was originally created in late 2020; I update it with new info every few months (last update November 10, 2023).
The Alexis and Alexander - 27 Alexander Street (Gastown)
These two buildings share one common lobby, one address, and yet are two separate strata. On the Alexis side of the building, you will find a handful of two-story lofts on the third floor.
Original building built in 1907 with conversion to strata in 1996 | Concrete and brick construction | Most, if not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
308 27 Alexander Street as listed in 2017
308 27 Alexander Street as listed in 2017
55 Alexander Street (Gastown)
Several two level lofts on the 6th floor (sub-penthouse level) of this building, no two level lofts on any other floors.
Built in 1999/2000 with a heritage look to match the surrounding buildings | Concrete construction | 6th floor lofts include parking.
55 Alexander Street as listed in 2018
55 Alexander Street as listed in 2018
Bowman Block - 528 Beatty Street (Gastown/Stadium)
This Vancouver Heritage Building is one of the coolest loft buildings in Vancouver. While not all floors in this building are double high, several floors are.
2006/2007 warehouse conversion from original 1906 building | Brick and concrete construction | Many, though not all, lofts include underground parking.
Bowman Lofts - 302 528 Beatty Street as listed in 2020
Bowman Lofts - 302 528 Beatty Street as listed in 2020
Metroliving - 531 Beatty Street (Gastown/Stadium)
5 two story lofts on the penthouse level (floor 7) of this building. Expect prices of $1.2m+. Only 1 penthouse loft sale in the last 5 years, so these units are extremely rare. All of these lofts feature beautiful balconies.
Built in 2007 | Concrete construction | All penthouse (7th floor) lofts include parking in this complex.
550 Beatty (Gastown/Stadium)
Two story lofts on both the 4th and 7th floors. Some lofts are a little more closed off than others, though most if not all of the lofts on these two floors will include two levels in the one unit. The two level lofts in this building include a circular staircase. All units feature exposed bricks and beams, which really give these lofts a lot of character.
Original building built in 1906 with conversion to strata in 1981 | Concrete, brick, and wood beam construction | Most, if not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
Carrall Station - 1 E Cordova Street (Gastown)
This building contains a mixture of double high (all floors except floor 2) and single floor lofts. Many of these lofts contain unauthorized square footage.
82 units in the strata.
This building and the next on the list (Van Horne) are very similar, with the exception that Van Horne is about double the size.
Lofts in this building are some of the most affordable in the city.
Built in 1997/1998 | Brick and concrete construction | Most, if not all, two storey lofts include parking in this complex (a rare find in Gastown).
Carrall Station - 1 East Cordova Street as listed in 2015
Carrall Station - 1 East Cordova Street as listed in 2015
Van Horne - 22 E Cordova Street (Gastown)
Built by the same developer as Carrall Station, approximately 1 year earlier. Similarly to Carrall Station, this building contains a mixture of double high (floors 1 & 4-8) and single floor lofts (floors 2 & 3). Many of these loft contain unauthorized square footage.
Entirely separate strata corporation from Carrall Station.
Named after Sir William Cornelius Van Horne who oversaw the construction of the Canadian transcontinental railway.
166 units in the strata, which make this one of the largest loft buildings in Vancouver.
Lofts in this building are some of the most affordable in the city.
Built in 1996/1997 | Brick and concrete construction | Most, if not all, two storey lofts include parking in this complex (a rare find in Gastown).
The Maddox - As listed by Engel & Völkers Vancouver in 2021.
Maddox - 1351 Continental Street (Yaletown)
There are a handful of double-height lofts in this building located at the end of the Granville Street bridge.
Built in 2013 | Concrete construction | Most, if not all, condos include parking in this complex. | Air-conditioned.
1241 Homer Street (Yaletown)
This building barely makes the list, though is a super cool building nonetheless. Most, if not all, of the ground level townhouse style lofts have open, loft type area for the 2nd floor bedroom to the main floor living room.
Only 12 units in this strata, most of which do not include the loft element, so listings are extremely rare.
Built in 2009 | Concrete and brick construction | Most, if not all, condos include parking in this complex. | Units are air-conditioned.
Tribeca Lofts - 988 Richards Street (Yaletown)
Not all floors in this building are double high, though several floors are.
Most of the double high lofts include a balcony, which is a rarity when it comes to lofts.
Built in 2006 | Concrete construction | Most, or all, lofts include parking in this complex.
Tribeca - 403 988 Richards Street as listed in 2014
Tribeca - 403 988 Richards Street as listed in 2014
Metropolis - 1238 Richards Street (Yaletown)
To my knowledge, all units are plumbed for bathrooms on both floors, though only about half of the units half bathrooms on both floors.
All units also include gas lines for gas fireplaces, though not all units have gas fireplaces.
In my opinion, the prices in this building are higher than they should be in comparison to other downtown loft buildings. Also, many floorplans do not give you as much open space area as other loft buildings.
Note the numbering in this building is somewhat false advertising. In Metropolis, each floor is counted as two levels, unlike most other loft buildings that count each floor as 1 level (of double high lofts). So floor 20 in this building, is really more like a floor 10 in most other loft buildings, and more like a floor 14/15 in comparison to standard buildings.
Built in 1998 | Concrete construction | Most, though not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
Metropolis - 1005 1238 Richards Street as listed in 2019
Metropolis - 1005 1238 Richards Street as listed in 2019
The Spot - 933 Seymour Street (Yaletown)
One of the most affordable loft buildings in Vancouver.
No rental restrictions, which makes it one of the very few on this list that you can also use as a short-term rental/airbnb. Learn more about short-term rental buildings through this link to another of my blog posts.
Most lofts in this building do not have balconies, though there are a handful of units that do have balconies on the lower floors.
Many lofts in this building contain unauthorized square footage.
The building includes a fabulous rooftop patio and 5th-floor patio.
Built in 1998 | Concrete construction | Most, though not all, lofts include parking in this complex
The Spot - 933 Seymour Street
Space Lofts - 1238 Seymour Street (Yaletown)
The only units with double high lofts that also include patios are floors 1, 4 and penthouse (floor 21) . Floor 4 includes a common area patios.
Penthouse level units include private hot-tubs, and are often reasonably priced. In general, this building is a good value, though it is not as upscale as many other loft buildings.
Most units have bathrooms on only one floor.
A large number of lofts in this building have unauthorized square footage. When evaluating lofts, if you find that the loft has unauthorized square footage, ask what the strata plan reads and base your price per square foot calculations off of this number. Additional unauthorized square footage can get you into trouble with the COV, and is not nearly as valuable as authorized square footage.
All floors except floors 14 to 20 are double high lofts.
Built in 1996 | Concrete construction | Most, though not all, lofts include parking in this complex | Very limited visitor parking (2 stalls with 12-hour time limits).
Space Lofts - 202 1238 Seymour Street as listed in 2020
Space Lofts - 202 1238 Seymour Street as listed in 2020
Artech - 336 East 1st Avenue (Main Street/VCC & Emily Carr)
67 double high industrial style lofts. This building is designated as live/work (note that this means there might be GST payable).
Most of these lofts are between 900sqft and 1100sqft, so on the larger end size of typical lofts. Prices in this building are quite reasonable considering the size.
Many of these loft contain unauthorized square footage .
Built in 1996 | Concrete perimeter, metal frame | Most, though not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
Artech - 336 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver as listed in 2020
Artech - 336 East 1st Avenue, Vancouver as listed in 2020
The Watershed - 228 E 4th Avenue (Main Street)
This building is designated as live/work (note that this means there might be GST payable).
44 condo industrial style loft building.
Many of these loft contain unauthorized square footage.
Built in 1996 | Includes rooftop patio as common area | Concrete perimeter, metal frame | Most, or all, lofts include at least 1 parking in this complex. Some lofts include 2 parking.
Artworks - 237 E 4th Avenue (Main Street)
This building is designated as live/work (note that this means there might be GST payable).
Beautiful city and mountain views from the higher floors.
Many of these loft contain unauthorized square footage.
Built in 1993/1994 | Concrete floors with metal frame| Most of the lofts include parking in this complex.
Artworks - 237 East 4th Avenue (Main Street) as listed in 2020
Artworks - 237 East 4th Avenue (Main Street) as listed in 2020
The Mecca - 272 E 4th Avenue (Main Street)
Many of these 20ft ceiling lofts are enormous (1000sqft+ to 1500sqft).
This building is designated as live/work (note that this means there might be GST payable).
Some lofts in this building have 20ft ceilings, though many have 12ft ceilings. Any of the lofts that have 12ft ceilings and a second sleeping floor, will contain unauthorized square footage as the half-floor this is not legal height for a ceiling.
Common area rooftop patio with BBQ.
Built in 1995 | Concrete construction, frame metal and concrete | Most, though not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
The Mecca - 407 272 E 4th Avenue as listed in Jan 2021
The Mecca - 407 272 E 4th Avenue as listed in Jan 2021
Centro Lofts - 138 W 6th Avenue (Main Street/Mount Pleasant)
Industrial style loft building.
This building is designated as live/work (note that this means there might be GST payable).
Built in 1997 | Commercial grade, concrete construction | Most, if not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
3726 Commercial Street (East Van/Commercial Drive)
Small 4-loft self-managed complex.
Built in 1999 | Wood frame | Most, if not all, lofts include parking in this complex.
City View Terraces - 1718 Venables Street (East Van/Grandview-Woodland)
Boutique building with 21 strata lots, though only a handful of the units are lofts.
Built in 2005 | Wood frame | To the best of my knowledge, all lofts include parking in this complex.
Cannery Row - 2001 Wall Street (East Van/Hastings-Sunrise)
Airbnb allowed with strata permission as of October 2020 (you must also follow COV bylaws).
Beautiful building with gorgeous lofts, though some buyers may dislike the very close proximity to the train tracks.
Built in 1999 | Concrete | To the best of my knowledge, all lofts include parking in this complex.
Cannery Row - 402 2001 Wall Street as listed in Oct 2020
Cannery Row - 402 2001 Wall Street as listed in Oct 2020
The Lofts In Kits - 2088 W 11th Avenue (Kitsilano)
Built in 2001 | Concrete construction | Most, or all, lofts include parking in this complex.
The Lofts In Kits - 1 2088 W 11th Avenue as listed in 2018
The Lofts In Kits - 1 2088 W 11th Avenue as listed in 2018
Cedar Mews - 1811 W 16th Avenue (Kitsilano)
Quite a unique building with beautiful ceilings and exposed brick throughout. A rarity especially for Kits.
This is a small 2-storey building consisting of 19 lofts, about half of which (upper storey of building) are double height lofts. The first level are lofts with overheight ceilings (11.5ft), though do not have two levels.
1997/1998 warehouse conversion from original 1922 building | Brick and concrete construction | Most, if not all, lofts include parking.
Cedar Mews - 208 1811 West 16th Avenue as listed in 2020
Cedar Mews - 208 1811 West 16th Avenue as listed in 2020
Above And Beyond My Typical Realtor® Services, There Are Several Key Things I Do For My Loft Clients:
Create floor and building-specific searches so you will be notified immediately when a new listing for a two-level loft becomes available. Many buildings only have lofts on one or two floors, so creating a top-notch search funnel specific to select floors becomes critical for your search.
Research current market trends and statistics specifically related to square footage, bedrooms, and the sub-areas. Lots of fun information to look at!
Keep extremely up-to-date on changes to Vancouver loft buildings and maintain a knowledge far beyond that of other Vancouver Realtors® concerning lofts.
If you are aware of incorrect information regarding any of the above properties, please send me an email.