Residences of No. 8 Sultan, 8 Sultan St: 25 Suites Off Bloor

No. 8 Sultan is for buyers who have decided they do not want a tower. It has 25 suites on nine floors, the smallest of them larger than most downtown two-bedrooms, on a one-block street across from the Windsor Arms Hotel and a block from Bloor. Buildings like this rarely come to market, and when they do, the decision is less about price per foot than about fit. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Twenty-five suites and no small ones

The defining fact about No. 8 Sultan is scale. Twenty-five suites over nine storeys means only a few suites per floor, and condos.ca records the smallest at about 1,178 square feet. There are no bachelors or compact one-bedrooms here, and so very few investor-owned rentals of the kind that shape life in larger towers.

The result is a building that feels closer to a private residence than a condominium. Hallways are quiet, residents know each other and the concierge knows everyone. For a downsizer coming out of a house in Rosedale, Forest Hill or the suburbs, that is often the point.

The other side of a 25-suite corporation is cost sharing. Every roof, elevator, garage or facade repair is split 25 ways, so the reserve fund matters more here than in almost any other kind of building.

The penthouse level

The top of the building includes two-storey penthouse suites. A 2023 blogTO feature on one of them described a suite spread over the upper two floors with more than 3,000 square feet inside, close to 1,000 square feet of terrace and a private elevator between levels. condos.ca’s suite range tops out at about 3,111 square feet, so expect figures to vary by source and by how terraces and mezzanines are counted.

That gives you a sense of the building’s upper end: these are house-sized suites with real outdoor space. Lower floors are smaller but still large by downtown standards.

I have not been able to confirm the architect or ceiling heights for the standard suites. In a building this small, many suites have been customised by their owners over 25 years, so judge each one on its own plan and finishes.

A fee that covers everything, shared by 25 owners

Fees here include common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, building insurance, water and parking. Hydro in the fee is unusual in Toronto, and for suites this size it is a real part of the value: heating and cooling 1,500 or 2,500 square feet is not cheap.

Expect the monthly fee to be high in absolute terms. Large suites, a concierge and security staff, and costs spread over only 25 owners all push it up. There were no active listings when I wrote this, so I cannot quote a current fee range; get the exact figure and the budget from the status certificate.

Ask also how the staffing is funded. A concierge and security guard are among the biggest line items in any condo budget, and in a 25-suite building each owner carries a large share. That is worth paying for if you travel or spend winters away, and worth knowing about if you are stretching to buy, because staffing costs rarely go down.

Sultan Street and the edge of Yorkville

Sultan Street is a short, quiet block. The Windsor Arms Hotel is across the street, and Bloor Street’s luxury shops, including Holt Renfrew, are a block north. The Royal Ontario Museum, Queen’s Park and the University of Toronto are a short walk away, as is the rest of Yorkville.

The neighbours are similar in spirit. The Residences at Windsor Arms at 22 St. Thomas Street is another 1999 boutique building with only 24 suites. Larger, newer towers such as U Condominium at Bay and St. Mary Street sit a short walk away. The panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

Priced against Yorkville’s other boutique buildings

condos.ca puts No. 8 Sultan’s average at about $1,128 per square foot. That is close to U Condominium at about $1,129, well above towers such as Crystal Blu at about $966 and The Uptown Residences at about $930, and well below its closest peer, The Residences at Windsor Arms, at about $1,549.

That gap with the Windsor Arms building is worth thinking about. Both are 1999 boutique buildings of about the same size on the same block. The Windsor Arms residences benefit from the hotel connection and the brand, and No. 8 Sultan gives you a very similar location and scale for considerably less per foot.

With only 25 suites, sales are rare, and one sale can move the average a long way. There were no suites listed for sale or rent when I wrote this. I price suites here by looking at the building’s sales history over several years together with the other boutique buildings around Yorkville, adjusting for floor, terrace and condition.

For buyers, the practical consequence is patience. If this is the building you want, register your interest early and be ready to move when a suite comes up, because you may wait months for the right one. For sellers, it means pricing carefully: there is little to compare against, and a suite priced too high can sit while buyers look at Windsor Arms or the Yorkville towers instead. For aggregate sold figures, see my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Residences of No. 8 Sultan

For 25 suites the amenities are unusual: a concierge and security guard, a gym, a sauna and, according to blogTO, a squash court. The staffed lobby is the amenity most owners here actually pay for, because it means deliveries, guests and security are handled while you are away.

Jatin’s honest take on Residences of No. 8 Sultan

Residences of No. 8 Sultan — 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.