Six50 King West, 650 King St W: Two Buildings, One Corner, Know Which

Six50 King West is the building I point to when someone wants King West without paying the price of a brand-new tower. It is a 2012 Freed Developments project at the northeast corner of King and Bathurst, split into a lower building on King and a taller tower on Bathurst, and the suite range runs from compact one-bedrooms to two-level penthouses. Which half you buy into, and which way you face, matters more here than in most buildings. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An L-shaped pair wrapped around two old brick buildings

Six50 is not one tower. Core Architects designed it as two buildings that form an L around the back of two older brick buildings on the northeast corner of King and Bathurst. The King Street building is the shorter one, and the tower facing Bathurst is the taller. UrbanToronto reported them as 10 and 16 storeys when they were finished in 2012; an earlier construction report described them as 9 and 15, so expect to see both figures quoted.

The design leans on texture rather than height. The architects used old brick, glass and concrete, and the facade carries horizontal bands of hedging that run up the buildings, which is the detail most people remember about the place. The project was registered for LEED certification, which tells you the developer was aiming for an efficient envelope, though I would not assume it was ever certified without seeing the paperwork.

Practically, the two-building layout means two different living experiences under one corporation. The King building has the street retail and the busier frontage. The Bathurst tower gets more height and longer views. Ask the listing agent which building a suite is in before you look at it, because the address on the listing does not always make that obvious.

A wide suite range, from entry-level to two-level penthouses

Suite sizes run from roughly 436 square feet up to about 3,498 square feet, which is an unusually wide spread for a building of 233 suites. The architect’s project summary describes entry-level suites, townhouses and two-level penthouses in the mix, so you can find a first-time buyer’s one-bedroom and a large family-sized penthouse in the same corporation.

That spread is good for liquidity at the small end, because compact one-bedrooms in King West always find buyers and tenants. It is harder at the top end. Large penthouses and townhouse units trade rarely, so there are few clean comparables, and pricing one takes more work than pricing a standard one-bedroom. If you are looking at one of the larger plans, ask for every sale of a similar size in the building over the past few years rather than relying on the building average.

Exposure matters a great deal on this corner. Bathurst and King are both busy arterial streets, and the King West strip to the east is a nightlife area. Suites facing the interior of the L or set higher in the Bathurst tower tend to be calmer than low suites over either street.

What the corner is like day to day

King and Bathurst sits at the west edge of the King West restaurant and bar strip, so you are walking distance from a long run of restaurants, cafes and gyms without being in the middle of the late-night crowd that gathers further east. Freed built several neighbouring projects, including 500 Wellington West and the Thompson Residences, so the immediate area has a consistent look and a lot of newer housing.

The other thing to know is how much is still changing nearby. The blocks between King, Queen, Bathurst and Spadina keep adding mid-rise buildings on former low-rise lots; The Harlowe, a 14-storey brick building a couple of blocks north on Richmond, is a good example. A view that is open today is not guaranteed in ten years, so price a view as a bonus, not as the reason to pay more.

The project also includes retail at grade and below-grade parking, so the ground floor is part of the street rather than a blank wall. That helps the corner feel lived-in, but it also means deliveries and garbage pickup are part of life for suites on the lower floors facing the lane or the retail. If you are sensitive to that, ask the property manager which suites have raised complaints and walk the building at night before you firm up. Transit, walkability and nearby services are covered in the data panel on this page.

Six50 King West pricing and fees

The building average sits around $879 per square foot. That is mid-range for King West resale: below what newer towers closer to Spadina tend to ask, and above older converted lofts with fewer amenities. The wide suite-size range pulls the average around, because small suites carry a higher price per square foot than large ones.

At the time I wrote this there were six active listings. One-bedrooms were asking roughly $553,000 to $599,000, and two-bedrooms roughly $699,900 to $899,900. Monthly fees on those listings ranged from about $290 to about $811, averaging close to $0.79 per square foot.

That fee includes common elements, heat, air conditioning, building insurance and water. Parking is not listed among the inclusions, so if a suite comes with a space, ask whether there is a separate charge. Hydro is on your own meter. For what suites have actually sold for, use the aggregate figures on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Six50 King West

The amenity package is practical rather than resort-style: concierge and security, a gym, and outdoor space on the roof and patio. There is no pool to drive up the fee, and Beanfield Fibre is available, which matters if you work from home.

Jatin’s honest take on Six50 King West

Six50 King West — frequently asked questions

Looking at King West, Liberty Village and CityPlace more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.