250 Jarvis St: A 55-Suite 1990 Building With Parking in the Fee

250 Jarvis is the kind of building most buyers drive past without noticing. It is 10 storeys, 55 suites and 36 years old, with no marketing name and no amenity brochure. What it does have is a price per square foot little more than half of what newer towers a few blocks west command, and parking included in the fee. For the right buyer, that is the whole story; for the wrong one, it is a building to walk away from. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A small 1990 building on Jarvis

250 Jarvis was registered in February 1990, at the tail end of the late-1980s condo wave, when several small buildings went up along this stretch of Jarvis. Its immediate neighbours tell the same story: 256 Jarvis next door is a 15-storey, 54-suite building from 1983, and Metropolitan Essex at 296 to 298 Jarvis is a 17-storey, 124-suite building from 1991.

At 10 storeys and 55 suites, this is a true boutique building. You share the lobby, the elevator and every repair bill with only 54 other owners. That makes for a quiet building where owners know each other, and it makes the condition of the reserve fund more important than in a large tower.

The listing data does not name a developer or architect, and I could not find a reliable published record of either. If design history matters to you, this is not that building. It is a plain, functional concrete mid-rise, and you buy it for space and cost.

Bigger suites than the towers around it

The only suite size on record in the listing data is about 897 sq ft, which tells you something about the stock. Buildings of this era were designed for owner-occupiers, and suites tend to be larger and more conventionally laid out than the 500 sq ft one-bedrooms that dominate new towers nearby.

I would not assume every suite is that size. With only 55 units, the building could hold a mix of one- and two-bedroom plans, and I do not have a full floor-plan record to confirm it. Ask for the floor plan and the registered size from the status certificate or the declaration, not the listing.

What older layouts usually give you is separate rooms with real walls, a proper entry and more storage. What they usually lack is the floor-to-ceiling glass and open kitchens buyers have come to expect. Budget for updating if the suite has not been renovated.

How buying in a 55-suite building is different

Supply is the first difference. In a building this size, a year can pass with only a handful of resales, and today there are none listed. If you want in, tell your agent early, set up an alert and be ready to move when a suite appears.

Pricing is the second. With so few recent trades, one unusual sale can swing the building’s averages. When I price a suite here, I blend its own history with the neighbouring 1980s and 1990s buildings on Jarvis, adjusted for size, condition and what the fee covers.

The third is governance. In a small corporation, a few engaged owners can make a big difference, for better or worse. Read the last two years of board minutes, look at how quickly issues get resolved, and ask how many suites are owner-occupied, because that tends to shape how the building is run.

Jarvis between Dundas and Gerrard

Jarvis was one of Toronto’s grand residential avenues in the 19th century, and a few of the old mansions survive along the street. Today this stretch mixes small condos, rental apartments, institutional buildings and newer towers, and it carries a lot of north-south traffic.

Toronto Metropolitan University’s campus is a short walk west, and Yonge Street, the Eaton Centre and the hospitals on University Avenue and at Queen and Bond are within walking distance. Allan Gardens and its conservatory are a few blocks north. The data panel on this page has the exact transit, school and park details.

East of Jarvis, toward Sherbourne and Moss Park, the streetscape changes quickly, and some blocks feel very different at night than in the afternoon. Walk the route you would take home at different times of day before you decide.

The area is also changing. New towers such as JAC Condos at 308 Jarvis have been completed nearby, so check what could be built near your windows.

The price per square foot is the point

The building average sits around $468 per square foot. That is among the lowest figures anywhere downtown. For comparison, 256 Jarvis next door averages about $427, Metropolitan Essex about $525 and Jarvis Gardens at 192 Jarvis about $583. Newer towers a few blocks west, such as Core Condos at 68 Shuter, average around $873.

That gap reflects the building’s age, its short amenity list, and the street, but it also reflects the size of the suites. A larger, older suite often costs less per square foot than a small new one, even in a strong building.

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and hydro are not listed as included, so ask what the suite pays for each before you compare fees with older buildings like 256 Jarvis, where heat and air conditioning are bundled in.

There are no suites listed for sale right now, which is normal for a 55-suite building. For recent sold prices and rents, see the data panel or my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 250 Jarvis

This is a short list: a gym, a sauna, bike storage and a secured entry. There is no concierge listed, which helps keep costs down in a building this small, but it means parcels and visitors are your own problem. The listing data also flags a pet restriction; read the declaration and rules for the details before you buy if you have a pet.

Jatin’s honest take on 250 Jarvis

250 Jarvis — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.