325 Jarvis St Townhomes: A 1981 Enclave Beside a 46-Storey Tower

325 Jarvis Street is a small 1981 townhouse condominium tucked between Jarvis and George, a block south of Allan Gardens. It is one of the few ways to own a multi-level home with a front door this close to the downtown campus, and it now sits right beside one of the tallest new towers on Jarvis. Small, older complexes like this are rewarding and risky in equal measure. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1981 townhouse complex in a tower district

This complex dates from 1981. It belongs to a group of small condominium townhouse complexes in Moss Park and Cabbagetown that were registered between the mid-1970s and early 1980s, including complexes on Gerrard, Pembroke, Spruce and Wellesley. It runs through the block between Jarvis Street and George Street, which is why it carries two addresses.

Thirty-three homes is very small for a condominium corporation. That has advantages: you know your neighbours, the board is close to the owners, and decisions can be made quickly. It also means costs are shared among very few owners, so a roof, a garage repair or a paving job lands heavily on each home.

The neighbourhood around it has changed completely. The 46-storey Prime Condos tower at 319 Jarvis was completed next door in 2024, and several other towers have gone up along Jarvis since 2015. The townhomes are now a low-rise pocket inside a high-rise district.

Living beside a new tower has trade-offs. The heavy construction next door is finished, which is good news for anyone buying now. But the tower changes sunlight and privacy for homes on that side, and nearly 600 new households now use the same sidewalks. Stand in the home’s rooms and outdoor space at different times of day to see how much light you actually get.

What the homes are like

Listing records describe multi-level townhouse homes with two and three bedrooms, and current data shows at least some homes in the 800-to-900-square-foot range with a den. I could not find a reliable full list of floor plans, so treat each home individually and get the measured size and the floor plan from the listing.

In townhouses of this era, check how the space is split across floors. A home of about 850 square feet on two or three levels has small rooms on each floor, and stairs take up a share of the area. That suits a couple or a small family who value a front door over open-plan space.

Ask whether the home has a private patio or terrace and how outdoor space is assigned. Barbecues are permitted, which tells you there is usable outdoor space, but rules on what you can install vary between complexes.

The location, from Allan Gardens to the campus

Allan Gardens and its conservatory are a block north across Gerrard, Toronto Metropolitan University is a short walk west, and Yonge Street and the Eaton Centre are within a walk. Moss Park and Queen Street East are to the south. The panel on this page covers transit.

Jarvis is a wide, busy arterial street, and George is a quieter side street. Homes facing George, or facing inward, will be noticeably calmer than those facing Jarvis. Construction is a fact of life here, with more towers planned along Jarvis and around the campus, so expect cranes and lane closures for years.

What a small, older corporation means for you

At 45 years old, a complex like this has already replaced, or is due to replace, its big-ticket items: roofs, windows, the shared garage or parking surface, paving and exterior brick and siding. Whether those costs were planned for is the most important question you can ask.

Read the reserve fund study and the status certificate closely. Look at the reserve fund balance against the study’s recommendation, whether any special assessment has been discussed in the board minutes, and how the fee has changed over recent years. In a 33-home corporation, a shortfall of a few hundred thousand dollars is a five-figure bill per home.

Also ask what the fee includes. Townhouse corporations often leave heat and hydro to each owner, which makes the fee look low next to a high-rise but shifts the utility bills to you. Ask the seller for a year of heating and hydro bills so you can work out the real monthly cost, and ask whether furnaces and air conditioners are owned or rented.

Pricing: thin data, so price carefully

With 33 homes and usually only one or two on the market at a time, there is very little sales data here. At the time of writing there was one home for sale and one for rent, and no reliable building-wide price per square foot.

That makes pricing hard. A single sale in the last year can swing any average, and older townhomes vary widely with renovations. When I price a home here, I look at sales in this complex over several years, nearby townhouse complexes in Cabbagetown and Moss Park, and the condition of the specific home, including its kitchen, bathrooms and mechanical systems.

Do not compare the price per square foot with Prime next door. A tower suite with a gym and concierge and a 1981 townhome with a front door are different products, and buyers pay for different things. Compare the total monthly cost instead: mortgage, fee, taxes and utilities. For a sold-price picture of the complex, ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at 325 Jarvis Street Townhomes

There are no shared amenities to speak of, and that is the point. You pay for your home, the grounds and the building envelope, not for a gym and party room you might not use.

Jatin’s honest take on 325 Jarvis Street Townhomes

325 Jarvis Street Townhomes — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.