A unique and historic Toronto property currently used as a seniors assisted living and care centre at O’Connor Drive and Broadview Avenue in East York is being sold by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto and marketed by Colliers.

The 2.32-acre property at 2 O’Connor Dr. features a modern four-storey, 84,044-square-foot facility with 58 residential units and a restored 11,280-square-foot, 1885-built Queen Anne Revival mansion with four additional guest suites and office space that’s incorporated into the newer building.

The Sisters of St. Joseph are a Roman Catholic congregation of women that was established in Toronto in 1851 with a commitment to establishing ministries in education, social services and healthcare. They’ve founded four Toronto hospitals: St. Michael’s Hospital in 1892; St. Joseph’s Health Centre in 1921; the demolished Our Lady of Mercy Hospital in 1925; and Providence Healthcare in 1962.

The 2 O’Connor facility was created as a retirement home for the Sisters. But their average age has reached 87 and few younger women are joining the congregation to take the place of the older ones as they pass away, thus the centre is expected to be less than half full by the end of 2026.

“They have a lot of care staff there and it's an expensive building to operate, so we give credit to the Sisters for looking ahead and realizing that a building that's under 50 per cent utilized doesn't make a whole lot of sense for their own finances, so that's why they're looking ahead to ideally selling the property this year,” said Colliers senior vice-president Peter Davies in an interview with RENX that also included executive VP Jeremiah Shamess and VP Matthew Soper. 

“With a lease-back in place until the end of 2026, they have a relocation plan in place for the Sisters. They have some other properties and some other agreements with one of the hospital networks, so all of the Sisters will be incredibly well taken care of for the balance of their lives.”

What 2 O’Connor offers

The primary building is S-shaped and was designed by Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. It was completed in 2014 and received several architecture and design awards.

Each private room features a bed, a sitting area, a washroom with toilet and shower, a walk-in closet, windows and individual temperature controls. They’re arranged along single-loaded corridors to maximize access to natural light and fresh air.

The modern residence features specialized spaces for assisted living and healthcare as well as service rooms and administration offices.

Amenities include: a window-filled chapel facing the Don Valley and River that has seating for 60 people; dining areas; lounges; social and staff areas; a landscaped courtyard surrounded by trees; water pools with fountains; and 28 surface parking stalls.

“The entire building was created to effectively sit within nature,” Shamess explained. 

Sustainability features include: geothermal heating and cooling; rainwater management systems; operable windows; and green roofs. 

Toronto Transit Commission bus stops are within walking distance, while the Broadview subway station is eight minutes away via public transit. The property is within 800 metres of the future Cosburn station that will be part of the Ontario Line subway that’s in the early stages of construction. The Don Valley Parkway is also nearby.

Interest has been strong

The original land acquisition and construction costs for 2 O’Connor were $63 million. No sale price was set by Colliers, which began marketing the property in late January and had received 51 signed non-disclosure agreements from potential purchasers in order to receive access to the data room by Feb. 19.

Shamess said 2 O’Connor is the only property of its type on the market and interest in it has been shown by assisted living providers, publicly funded and privately owned long-term care providers, non-profit organizations, healthcare providers and hospice groups.

“Most of the buyers have been regional and Canadian-based,” Shamess said. “We think it will end up being used as a retirement facility, but at this point buyers are looking at it for everything from hotel conversion, residential conversion and a purpose-built medical facility.”

“The building does not lay itself out like a traditional long-term care facility and doesn't have the economies of scale that a lot of the private long-term care owners and operators are typically accustomed to, but high-end assisted living is certainly a strong interest,” Davies said. 

Suite capacity could be increased

There’s potential to increase the capacity in the main building by transforming the relatively large private suites into semi-private units. With alterations, the adjoining mansion could also accommodate additional residential suites.

Shamess said there’s potential for intensification and expansion to the north of the primary building, “but given the fact that the building is incredibly built, it's unlikely that it would be economically feasible at this point because the building is so new.”

No official bid date deadline has been announced for 2 O’Connor, but it’s expected to be within the next month, according to Shamess.