A friend who has been living here for many years has asked me to respond with this:
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The Indigo is brilliant simply because it's small - only 27 floors with 5 units per floor. It has an active community of long-term owners that are very attentive to the building and their efforts are visible throughout the property. The 24-hour concierge is a godsend to a freelancer like myself - the ability to have packages signed for, parcels delivered, and someone who knows your friends and clients is invaluable, so the condo fees that go to their salary are well worth it. The building also has a vibrant listserv which has proven to be a great way to communicate questions, experiences and frustrations that then get passed on to the board and management.
Despite being 15 years old, the Indigo was built with a lot of forward thinking features. The elevators (which are blazingly fast) also have a backup generator, so when the power went out, Indigo residents could still travel to their floors with ease. There's a huge ice chiller buried under the building - the idea is that the building generates ice at night, when the cost of hydro is the lowest. Then during the day, the ice is used to cool the building, saving huge amounts on hydro costs. The living units are large and bright with square corners - none of this stupid weird angle stuff with wasted space you see in newer buildings. And with only 5 units per floor, the building is blissfully quiet. All this with a ridiculously good location - Lombard street is quiet and practically hidden but in the middle of everything. You're one block from a 24hr grocery store and the Eaton Centre, and two blocks from two subway stations, two streetcar routes and the St. Lawrence market. Everything, from Starbucks, to the driver's license bureau to the passport office to the post office is within a block.
The Indigo's challenge at this point is dealing with it's age The building just switched management and accounting companies in the last year to mixed results. The board (in it's present form) is very forward thinking and has been instrumental in cleaning up a lot of the physical and financial mess left after years of apathy. The hallways and front lobby have been updated and the guest suite has just had a stunning makeover (.tiff attached) The rooftop patio has been revitalized as well. Suite owners are starting to replace the original appliances and you're seeing a lot of renovation happening. Due to it's age, the building has seen a lot of problems with the water systems - my suite has been fine, but there has been ongoing issues with inconsistent hot and cold water that have stumped two management companies and several plumbing outfits.
In the end, the difference is made by the people who live here and the location it finds itself in. The Indigo was doing the green boutique thing a long time before it became an industry cliche.
