Number Nine Jackes, 9 Jackes Ave: Six Full-Floor Suites Off Yonge

Number Nine Jackes is not really a condo building in the usual sense. It is six homes stacked one on top of another, each taking a full floor, built by a builder better known for estate houses. For someone leaving a large house in Rosedale or Moore Park, it is one of the very few options in midtown that does not feel like a compromise. It is also a building where six owners carry every cost. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

One suite per floor, and what that means

The defining feature here is simple: six suites, one per floor. Each home runs from the front of the building to the back, so you get light on several sides, long sightlines and no shared corridor. Press coverage of one suite described two elevators opening directly into it, which is the kind of arrival you normally only get in a house or a far larger luxury tower.

The building profile records a single floor, which does not match a building with six full-floor suites. I treat that as a data error and rely on the press descriptions, but if exact storey count matters to you, check it in the declaration.

The builder, Shane Baghai, is known for large custom homes on the Bridle Path, and the building was designed for the same kind of buyer. Recorded suite sizes of about 2,006 to 3,375 square feet are house-sized, and the suites were planned for people with furniture, art and a habit of entertaining.

Inside the suites

Ceiling heights reported for at least one suite are nine feet. That is generous for 2003 but not dramatic, so if you are coming from an older house with high ceilings, look for yourself rather than assuming. One renovated suite was described as having an open plan with clear sightlines from front to back and long walls for hanging art.

Outdoor space comes as terraces and balconies; one suite was reported with a south-facing terrace of about 350 square feet. Ask about the outdoor space on the specific floor you are considering, because it varies.

Because suites trade so rarely, many have been renovated by their owners over the years, sometimes extensively. That means two suites in the same building can be worlds apart in condition and finish. View every one that comes up, and price the renovation into your thinking if a suite is still original.

Full-floor layouts also make renovation easier than in most condos. With no neighbour beside you, there are fewer shared walls to work around, although plumbing stacks, structure and the corporation’s rules still set limits. If you plan to renovate, ask the board for its renovation and alteration rules before you buy, and budget time for approvals.

Parking, fees and the six-owner budget

Parking is the other unusual feature. Press coverage of one suite reported three or four underground spaces with it, plus an oversized locker, and the building profile lists visitor parking and a car wash. For buyers who keep more than one car, that is rare anywhere near Yonge Street.

The fee is recorded as covering common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat and air conditioning are not on the list, so expect to pay for heating and cooling your own suite, as you would in a house. Ask the seller for a year of utility bills.

With only six owners, every shared cost is split six ways. That includes the roof, the garage, the elevators and the building’s insurance. A well-run corporation of this size can be very economical; a thin reserve fund can mean large special assessments. The building profile lists pets as permitted, but check the rules for any limits.

Jackes Avenue, between Summerhill and St. Clair

Jackes Avenue is a short residential street off Yonge, close to the Summerhill shops and a few minutes from Rosedale and Moore Park. It has become a street of condominiums of very different scales, from boutique buildings like this one to The Jack and other taller buildings near the Yonge Street corner, and 33 Jackes further along.

Day to day, you are within walking distance of Yonge Street’s grocers, restaurants and the subway, while the street itself stays quiet. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and nearby food and parks.

House-sized suites at boutique prices per foot

The building’s average sits at about $1,467 per square foot. Applied across the size range, that implies roughly $2.9 million for the smallest suites and close to $5 million for the largest, though condition, renovation and outdoor space move the real number substantially.

That puts it at the top end of midtown condominium pricing, in line with the best boutique buildings in Yorkville and along Avenue Road rather than with the towers on Yonge. You are paying for privacy, full-floor living and parking that most buildings simply cannot offer. Against a detached house nearby, the comparison often looks better than buyers expect once you add up house maintenance.

There were no active listings when I checked, which is the norm. With six suites, a sale might come up once every year or two, if that, and each is effectively a one-off. If you are weighing a suite here, ask me for the building sold report so we can work from what has actually traded at this address.

Building specifications

Amenities at Number Nine Jackes

There is no concierge, gym or party room on record. The amenities that matter here are private: direct elevator access, generous parking and a car wash, which is about as close to a house garage as a condo gets.

Jatin’s honest take on Number Nine Jackes

Number Nine Jackes — 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.