X Condos, 110 Charles St E: The Black Tower at Jarvis, 16 Years On

X Condos is the building people mean when they say “the black tower at Jarvis and Charles”. Great Gulf finished it in 2010, architectsAlliance designed it as a nod to Mies van der Rohe’s TD Centre, and from the upper floors it looks straight up at Rosedale and across the whole downtown skyline. It is a big tower, with big-tower trade-offs, and it now has a taller twin across the street. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

Mies on Charles Street

The architecture is the reason X stands out. architectsAlliance gave it a dark, gridded glass skin that UrbanToronto described as a residential homage to the TD Centre, with Mondrian-style touches on the facade. On a skyline full of pale glass, the black tower is visible from almost anywhere in the east end.

Not everyone loved the result. UrbanToronto’s critic thought the mechanical penthouse on top stood out badly against the rest of the design. That is a matter of taste, and it has no effect on living here, but it tells you the building was watched closely as it went up.

At street level there is a double-height lobby, and Shayne Dark’s sculpture Double Vision sits outside the doors. Interiors were done by the design firm Cecconi Simone.

Suites, glass and ceiling heights

condos.ca records suites from about 518 to 1,660 square feet. Most of what trades is one-bedroom and one-bedroom-plus-den suites of 600 to 800 square feet, with larger two-bedroom-plus-den suites and a few big upper-floor plans with two balconies at the top.

Suites have floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall glass, and UrbanToronto’s tour of an upper suite reported nine-foot ceilings and hardwood floors. Ceiling heights can vary between floors and suite types, so confirm on the floor plan for the suite you are looking at.

All that glass is great for light and views, and it also means heat gain in summer. North-facing suites look over Rosedale’s trees and the valley; south-facing suites look over the downtown towers. Ask about window coverings, and check how well the suite’s heating and cooling unit keeps up on a sunny afternoon.

Upper floors command a premium for a reason: above the neighbouring towers the views open up in every direction. Lower and mid floors on the south side look into more glass, so price the floor and the view, not just the square footage.

X and X2: two towers, two corporations

Great Gulf and Lifetime Developments later built X2 at 101 Charles Street East, a 49-storey tower finished in 2015. The two are often confused, but they are separate condominium corporations with separate budgets, reserve funds and boards. Make sure the documents you are reading belong to TSCC-2117.

X2 is newer and taller and averages slightly more per square foot on condos.ca, about $887 against about $877 here. X has had longer to settle, with more resale history behind it. Couture at 28 Ted Rogers Way is the other obvious comparison a block away. When I price a suite here, I look at recent sales in both towers, adjusted for floor, view and age.

Living in a 415-suite tower

A building this size has its own rhythm. You will share elevators with hundreds of neighbours, the concierge desk handles a steady flow of parcels and guests, and move-in days need to be booked. In exchange, fees are spread across 415 owners, so a pool and a full amenity floor cost each owner far less than they would in a small building.

Large towers also have more renters than small mid-rises, which is not a problem in itself, but it changes who turns up to the annual meeting. If you care how the building is run, go to the AGM and read the minutes; in a 415-suite corporation, a few engaged owners can steer a lot.

Elevator wait times at peak hours are the everyday complaint in towers of this height. The automatic panel on this page shows elevator records; on a showing, try the elevators at 8:30 in the morning before you decide.

Charles and Jarvis, day to day

The building sits just south of Bloor, between Jarvis and Ted Rogers Way, so Bloor-Yorkville shopping and the Bloor and Yonge interchange are a short walk west. The Church-Wellesley Village is a few minutes south, and the Rosedale Valley and its trails are just north.

This corner has filled in since X opened, with X2 and Couture now close by, so the blocks around Charles and Jarvis are far denser and busier than they were in 2010. Transit, schools and walkability are in the automatic panel on this page.

Price per square foot, fees and current asking prices

condos.ca puts the building average at about $877 per square foot, close to X2 at about $887 and a little above Couture at about $816. That puts X near the top of this pocket, which is what you would expect for a well-known 2010 tower with views.

Fees are reasonable for a tower with this amenity package, at about $0.86 per square foot across current listings. condos.ca lists common elements, heat, air conditioning, water and building insurance as included. Hydro is not listed, so expect to pay it yourself, and Beanfield fibre is available in the building.

At the time of writing four suites were for sale, asking from about $640,000 to about $899,000. With 415 suites, there is usually enough choice and enough recent resale data to price a suite properly.

Building specifications

Amenities at X Condos

This is a full tower amenity package: a podium pool, a fitness room, a billiards lounge and a private dining room with a catering kitchen, as UrbanToronto described them, plus guest suites and a rooftop deck on condos.ca. Ask management which spaces are open and bookable today, since amenity rules change over time.

Jatin’s honest take on X Condos

X Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Church–Wellesley, Corktown, Moss Park and Cabbagetown more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.