JAC Condos, 308 Jarvis St: A 2024 Tower Behind a Jarvis Mansion Façade

JAC Condos is a new tower with an old front door. Graywood and Phantom built it behind the surviving façades of a 19th-century Jarvis Street mansion, and what came out is a 2024 building with an unusual suite mix: plenty of compact three-bedroom-plus-den plans aimed squarely at the university crowd and the families of students. That mix is the first thing to understand before you buy here. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The mansion at the base

In the 1880s, Jarvis Street was one of Toronto’s best addresses, a tree-lined avenue of large detached houses for the city’s business families. By the 1920s many had been divided into rooming houses. The house on this site, known as the Sheard mansion, was one of the survivors.

Graywood and Phantom bought it in 2019 planning to keep it and build behind it. A fire later that year left only two façades standing, and those were kept and folded into the base of the new tower. UrbanToronto describes the house as an 1865 Beaux-Arts design, while The Globe and Mail says it was built in the late 1800s, so the exact date is unclear.

The restored front now houses the building’s amenity space. Around it, the podium uses dark red brick, white precast concrete and white-framed windows to sit comfortably next to the heritage fabric. The tower above switches to window wall with white aluminum, metal panels and purple and dark red spandrel. It is a more colourful building than most on Jarvis.

A suite mix built around three bedrooms

Most new downtown towers are dominated by one-bedrooms. JAC is different. Of the nine suites listed for sale at the time of writing, five were three-bedroom-plus-den plans, and there was a four-bedroom-plus-den as well. Two-bedroom-plus-den plans make up most of the rest.

This makes sense once you look at the location. Toronto Metropolitan University is a short walk west, and investors and parents of students like a suite where three or four people can each have a bedroom. Owner-occupier families also benefit, because a three-bedroom downtown condo is still rare.

Be realistic about size, though. Several of these three-bedroom plans are compact, and the largest suites reach only about 1,355 square feet. Check bedroom dimensions, closet space and whether every bedroom has a window rather than a borrowed-light wall. The five townhouses on Mutual Street are a separate product with their own street presence, worth looking at if you want ground-level living.

What a heritage front means for owners

A restored façade is a lovely thing to walk past every day, but it is also a common element the corporation has to look after. Old brick and stone need repointing, sealing and periodic repair, and the work usually has to meet heritage standards, which can cost more than ordinary masonry repair on a new podium.

None of that is a reason to avoid the building. It is a reason to look for a specific line in the reserve fund study for the heritage façade, and to ask whether any heritage easement or agreement with the City sets out who maintains what. A new corporation that budgets for this from the start is in a much better position than one that discovers it at the first major repair.

Because the amenity rooms sit inside the restored base, they are where you will notice the old house most from the inside. Look at them in person, since they are one of the more distinctive features of the building and a good test of how carefully the restoration was done.

Parking, Allan Gardens and the Jarvis corridor

The two-level underground garage holds 99 spaces, 77 for residents and 22 for visitors, according to UrbanToronto. For 489 suites, that is about one resident space for every six suites. A suite with parking will be the exception here, so if you need one, confirm it is on title.

Allan Gardens and its conservatory are a short walk east, which gives the building a real green space nearby. The Church-Wellesley Village is a few blocks north-west, and Yonge Street is within easy walking distance. Jarvis is a busy arterial with heavy traffic, so lower suites facing the street will hear it.

The neighbourhood is changing fast. The Globe and Mail reported that the university’s growth is driving a wave of new condo and student-housing projects in this south-east corner of downtown, with more planned. Expect cranes nearby for some years. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

Pricing at JAC

condos.ca does not yet publish a building average per square foot for JAC, since resale history is short. Current asking prices give a picture: two-bedroom-plus-den suites ask from about $615,000 to $749,000, and three-bedroom-plus-den suites from about $794,000 to $880,000 across five listings.

For context, Max Condos at 77 Mutual Street, a 2021 tower a short walk south, averages about $922 per square foot, and Pace at Dundas and Jarvis about $789. The older Jarvis Street mid-rises at 250 and 256 Jarvis sit in the $400s per square foot, which shows how much a new building costs in this pocket.

Fees on current listings average about $0.84 per square foot, with monthly fees from about $535 to $875. That is moderate for a 2024 building with this many amenities. condos.ca does not list fee inclusions, so confirm them in the status certificate. Beanfield Fibre is available in the building.

At the time of writing, nine suites were for sale and eight were listed for rent. For aggregate sold figures as they accumulate, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at JAC Condos

The amenities lean social: a games room, media room and party room inside the restored heritage base, plus a gym and a rooftop deck. In a building with so many shared three-bedroom suites, those common rooms will be busy, so ask how bookings and guest rules are managed.

Jatin’s honest take on JAC Condos

JAC 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.