Duke Condos is, at very minimum, a well-named condo development. There are a lot of horrible condo names in our city, and this for once isn't actually one of them. Although naming a new building after its intersection is not the most original idea going, it does speak to the growing public desire for condo names that have anything at all to do with their locations (see: Ice?, Nero?).

Duke Condos, at the corner of Dundas West and Keele St, is actually making a real effort to become part of this unique neighbourhood. Developer TAS has hired local artists to design Duke's sales centre as well as continuing to sponsor the popular Junction flea market.

Now a hub for alt culture and homespun entrepreneurs, the Junction has undergone a real transformation over the past few years and has now reached that venerable point when shiny new condos are soon to graces its streets.

Duke isn't your average condo tower though; at only seven storeys this mixed use building features extensive ground floor retail, graceful cantilevered living spaces, as well as a real variety of units including artist-centric live/work lofts(although the prices are not necessarily artist-centric) and some pretty unique floor plans in the penthouse suites.

The live/work spaces actually all feature double height ceilings for whatever creations you can afford to build after your sizeable down payment. Some units on the upper floors also include two-storey windows on both north and south ends of the building, allowing for all day sunlight, these units are not really recommended for creatures of the night like vampires or bartenders.

One of the real highlights here is actually Duke's lack of a ton of amenities. We all too often see projects these days filled to the brim with things to keep people inside and not engaged in with their surroundings. With only a gym and a party room you should have plenty of time to head out and explore the one of a kind offerings of the area.

But, if you are looking for a little outdoors without the crowds you will find that almost all of the 92 suites feature either terraces or balconies. Each balcony also comes fitted with custom planters for those looking for a more manageable green space. Along with the convenient garden space TAS has included a few eco-friendly additions to keep our modern guilt in check including a green roof as well as in-suite energy recovery ventilators.

Address: 2803 Dundas West
Storeys: 7
Completion Date: November 2015
Unit sizes In Square Feet: 450 to over 1,600
CeilinTypes og Heights in Feet: 9 to 18
Types of Units: Studio, one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den, two-bedroom, two-bedroom-plus-den, three-bedroom, three-bedroom-plus-den, townhomes, and live-work lofts
Starting Price: low $200,000s
Architect: Quadrangle
Developer: TAS
Amenities: Gym and party room

THE GOOD

This may be one of the best new projects I've seen in while considering its respect for the neighbourhood, excellent design, relatively modest size and unique selection of units. Also If you're the type who gets excited about environmentally conscious design (and you damn well should be!) this place has got you covered whether you plan to utilize the terrace planters or not.

Although so far this is an excellent building, it's fair to assume this won't be the last development in this area, and as we all know odds are most won't be too spectacular. So prepare for the scorn of Junction locals when this area becomes filled with middle of the road condo buildings seeking to capitalize on another vibrant neighbourhood.

OUR TAKE

Excellent building , awesome neighbourhood, and despite its semi-hokey name, it will most likely be a few more years (filled with cheesy ad campaigns) before Toronto becomes the kind of city that's OK with just a building's address....so you'll just have to deal with it for now!

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