Core Condos, 68 Shuter St: Small Suites Behind a Georgian Row House Facade

Core Condos sold all 220 suites within a few weeks of launching in 2014, at a time when this side of downtown was still considered a slow market. Ten years later, the suites are still small, the fee still includes heat and cooling, and the street around it has filled in with towers twice its height. It is a good building for a specific buyer, and I want you to know whether that is you before you book a showing. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A quick build on a slow corner

CentreCourt bought the site in November 2013 from Queensgate, which had already worked through several rounds with the City on the height and massing and stayed in as a minority joint-venture partner. Sales opened in January 2014, and by early February every suite was sold.

Construction moved just as fast. The crane went up in May 2015, the tower topped off in June 2016, and first residents moved in late that year. UrbanToronto noted at the time that the area just east of Yonge had lagged behind hotter condo districts, which makes the speed of the sell-out more striking.

The project was first planned at 24 storeys and finished at 26. CentreCourt went on to build several other downtown towers aimed at the same young-professional buyer, including INDX and Karma.

Heritage at the base, sharp glass above

The site held 64 to 70 Shuter Street, all listed on the City’s heritage inventory. The heritage assessment by E.R.A. Architects found that 64 and 66 had been too heavily remodelled to keep. The podium instead incorporates the south facade, part of the roof and two chimneys of 68 and 70 Shuter, a three-storey 19th-century Georgian row house in buff brick with limestone lintels and sills, by architect John Tully.

Above that, the tower is split into two volumes by a vertical slot to break down the mass. The east element is white and slightly taller, and the west face is framed in black trim and punctuated by balconies, with a dark parapet at the top. It is clad in window wall and angled metal panels.

Inside, Cecconi Simone designed the common areas. The double-height lobby on Shuter has a suspended fireplace and a brick wall that nods to the restored facades out front.

Compact suites for walkers, not drivers

Suites run from about 390 sq ft to about 775 sq ft. That is a narrow and small range: studios, one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens and compact two-bedroom-plus-dens. If you need more than about 775 sq ft, this building simply does not have it.

Parking is scarce by design. The original plan called for 84 spaces in a five-level garage for 220 suites, so most suites have no parking. CentreCourt expected residents to walk to work, and the location supports that, with St. Michael’s Hospital, the Eaton Centre and Toronto Metropolitan University all a few blocks away.

Small suites have one real advantage at resale: there are a lot of buyers at this price point. A one-bedroom under $500,000 in a newer tower with bundled heat and cooling appeals to first-time buyers and investors alike, and with 220 similar suites there are usually enough comparables to price yours with confidence.

If parking matters to you, confirm on the status certificate that the suite you are buying has a deeded or exclusive-use space, and expect to pay more for one that does.

Shuter Street has grown up around it

When Core launched, the lots to the west and south were parking. Those sites have since become Fleur at 60 Shuter, completed in 2021, and the 52-storey 88 Queen tower, and 77 Shuter rose to 51 storeys across the street in 2020. Core is now one of the shorter towers on its own block.

That growth brings more shops and restaurants to the street, and it also means closer neighbours for some suites. Check which way your suite faces and what it now looks at. Transit, schools and parks are in the data panel on this page.

Shuter Street also sits between two very different parts of downtown. West toward Yonge it is busy and commercial; east toward Sherbourne and Moss Park the streetscape changes quickly and can feel very different at night. Walk the route you would take home at different times of day before you decide.

What Core costs, and what the fee covers

The building average sits around $873 per square foot. That is slightly above Fleur next door at about $833 and 77 Shuter at about $848, and below 88 Queen at about $887. Small suites tend to carry a higher price per square foot, which explains part of Core’s figure.

The fee is the number to understand. Current listings average about $1.20 per square foot, which is high for downtown. But it covers heat, air conditioning and water as well as common elements and insurance. Fleur and 77 Shuter include water but not heat or cooling, so add those utilities back before you compare.

Five suites are listed for sale right now, from a one-bedroom to two-bedroom-plus-dens, asking between about $398,000 and $688,000, with fees from roughly $402 to $903 a month. For recent sold prices and rents, see the data panel or my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Core Condos

CentreCourt skipped the pool and spa and put the money into a fourth-floor amenity floor of about 3,000 sq ft, designed as a second living room with a lounge, café bar, party room and gym, and a landscaped terrace wrapping the north, east and west sides. For people living in 450 sq ft, that shared space is genuinely useful, and the lack of a pool keeps one big long-term cost off the reserve fund.

Jatin’s honest take on Core Condos

Core Condos — 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.