Exhibit Residences, 200 Bloor St W: Stacked Cubes Across From the ROM

Exhibit Residences is the tower on Bloor Street West that looks like four boxes stacked slightly out of line, directly across from the Royal Ontario Museum. It is one of the most recognizable buildings on this stretch, and it gives you a Yorkville address at a lower price per square foot than the towers east of Avenue Road. The fees are the part to understand before you fall for the view. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Four cubes, slightly out of line

The design idea is simple and memorable. Rosario Varacalli broke the tower into four stacked volumes, each turned a few degrees from the one below, with a fifth volume at the rear holding an above-grade parking garage. From Bloor Street, the effect is of a sculpture across from the museum, which is exactly what the name intends.

The rotation is not just for show. Where one cube overhangs or steps back from another, it creates corner suites with wraparound windows and terraces of different sizes. It also means the floor plans change from cube to cube, so a suite on the 10th floor and one on the 25th can have quite different layouts even if they share a direction.

At launch, the developers also varied the features by cube, with appliance packages and terrace sizes stepping up as the floors rose. If you are comparing two similar-sized suites, check which cube each sits in and what the original specification was.

Layouts and ceiling heights

Suites run from about 506 square feet to nearly 2,400. Most current listings are one-bedroom, one-bedroom-plus-den and two-bedroom suites between 600 and 900 square feet; the larger suites are fewer and come up for sale less often.

Ceilings were planned at nine feet, which is standard for a tower of this era. Interiors were designed by Burdifilek, a Toronto firm known for luxury retail interiors.

Because the cubes overhang one another, some suites have unusual window lines or angled walls. That is part of the character, but it can make furniture placement harder. Walk the suite with your actual furniture in mind before you buy.

Living across from the ROM

The location is the main event. The Royal Ontario Museum is across the street, Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto are a few minutes south, and Yorkville and the Bloor Street shops are a short walk east. To the west, the Annex offers a more casual mix of restaurants and shops.

The site used to hold a McDonald’s, and the plans called for a new McDonald’s in the base of the tower. When blogTO reviewed the project, it raised the obvious concern: a fast-food restaurant downstairs can mean late-night traffic and cooking smells. Visit in the evening, check what is operating at grade now, and ask owners on lower floors how it affects them.

The neighbouring tower to the west is Museum House at 206 Bloor Street West, a smaller boutique building. Between them, they show two quite different ways of living on this block. The data panel on this page covers transit, Walk Score, food and parks.

Parking above ground, and whether you need it

Parking here is in an above-grade garage at the back of the building rather than a deep underground structure, which is why the rear of the tower reads as a separate fifth volume. At launch, parking was sold separately, at one space per suite at most, for a significant extra price.

That has two consequences for buyers today. First, not every suite has a space, so confirm whether the one you are buying does and whether it is owned or exclusive-use. Second, blogTO questioned at the time whether many buyers in such a walkable, transit-rich spot would need a car at all. For many owners here, the answer is no, and a suite without parking can be a sensible way to save money.

If you do drive, ask about visitor parking, which is listed among the amenities, and about access and security for the garage.

Price per square foot and the fee question

The building has averaged about $1,101 per square foot. For a Yorkville-area address, that is on the accessible side, and it reflects the suite mix, the lighter amenity list and the building’s position on the western edge of the neighbourhood rather than in its centre.

Eight suites are currently asking between $699,900 and $1,050,000. One-bedroom-plus-den suites of 600 to 799 square feet are asking $699,900 to $1,050,000, and two-bedrooms of 800 to 899 square feet are asking $899,000 to $990,000. The wide range within the same size band reflects differences in floor, cube and view.

Fees are the issue to understand. At launch, maintenance was projected at around $0.58 per square foot. Current listings work out to about $1.46 per square foot, with monthly fees of $711 to $1,306. Fees include heat, air conditioning and water as well as common elements and insurance, but that is still a large increase, and it is the single most important number to discuss before buying.

Ask for the last three years of budgets and the current reserve fund study, and find out what has driven the increases. A building that raised fees to properly fund its reserve is in a better position than one that is still catching up.

Building specifications

Amenities at Exhibit Residences

The package is modest for a building at this price point: no pool or spa, but a gym, party room, guest suite and a roof deck with a garden and reflecting pool. Beanfield Fibre in the building is a real benefit for anyone working from home.

Jatin’s honest take on Exhibit Residences

Exhibit Residences — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yorkville, the Annex and Midtown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.