The Jack Condos, 6 Jackes Ave: Big Suites on the Old CHUM Radio Site

The Jack is the building I show downsizers from Rosedale and Moore Park who want to stay close to Yonge and St. Clair without moving into a tower. It sits on the site of the old CHUM radio headquarters, and it was built with larger suites than most new midtown condos, which is exactly why it suits that buyer. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The old CHUM building, replaced

For decades, the low two-storey building at 1331 Yonge Street was the headquarters of CHUM Radio, a name a lot of Torontonians still connect with this stretch of Yonge. After CHUM left, it became a Brand Factory store, and in October 2016 it was demolished to make room for this building.

Nothing of the original was kept, so this is not a heritage conversion. What replaced it is an 11-storey, roughly 39-metre mid-rise with retail at grade on Yonge Street and the residential entrance on quiet Jackes Avenue, which is a detail I like: you come and go on a residential side street, not on Yonge itself.

The developer was Aspen Ridge Homes, the architect was BDP Quadrangle, and the interiors were by II BY IV Design. Urban Toronto lists completion in 2018, while the condominium was registered in September 2020, so expect listing records to give either year.

Suites sized for people leaving houses

Most new midtown condos are built around one-bedrooms. The Jack goes the other way. Suite sizes run from about 533 sq ft up to about 2,407 sq ft, and every listing for sale when I checked was a two-bedroom or two-plus-den, asking well over $1.5 million.

That mix is aimed squarely at people leaving a house in Rosedale, Moore Park, Deer Park or Summerhill who want a smaller footprint nearby with an elevator and a concierge. Larger plans with a proper dining area, a den and generous storage are what that buyer pays for.

When you view a suite, look at the ceiling height, the size of the outdoor space, and whether the primary bedroom can take a king bed and real furniture. In this price range, ask too about upgrades the original buyer chose, since finishes can vary a lot between otherwise similar suites.

There are smaller suites too, starting around 533 sq ft, and they are the quiet opportunity in this building. Because the big suites dominate the conversation, a one-bedroom here gets you into a newer building dominated by large suites, at a far lower total price. They do not come up often, so it is worth setting an alert.

What the fee does and does not cover

The fee here covers common elements, building insurance and water. Heat, cooling and hydro are not listed, and neither is parking, so add them when you compare buildings.

Because the suites are large, the monthly fees are too. Across the three listings I reviewed, fees ranged from about $1,686 to about $1,944 a month. condos.ca did not list sizes for those suites, so I cannot give you a reliable fee per square foot; ask for the exact area of any suite you look at and work it out yourself.

Visitor parking is listed among the amenities, which is genuinely useful at Yonge and St. Clair, where street parking is tight. Confirm whether the suite you are buying comes with one or two owned parking spaces and a locker.

A practical way to compare: take the monthly fee, add an estimate for hydro, heating and cooling for a suite of that size, and set it against an older building whose fee includes those utilities. For downsizers used to running a house, the total is usually lower than they expect, but you want the real number before you commit.

Yonge and St. Clair as a daily address

The Jack sits a short walk south of Yonge and St. Clair, the office and shopping node of midtown. Grocers, cafes and the restaurants of the strip are steps away, and the residential streets of Rosedale and Moore Park start just east of Yonge. Subway access, parks and food are detailed in the data panel on this page.

This stretch of Yonge is filling in with mid-rise and high-rise buildings, so expect construction around you over the next few years. On Jackes Avenue itself, neighbours include the boutique Number Nine Jackes and the older 33 Jackes, which give the street a quieter, residential feel than Yonge.

For a downsizer, that combination is the appeal: you can walk to the bank, the pharmacy and dinner without getting in a car, and come home to a side street. Ask which way a suite faces, because the Yonge side and the Jackes side are very different in noise and light.

Pricing: a premium for size and location

The Jack averages about $1,118 per square foot on condos.ca. That puts it among the more expensive newer buildings in midtown outside Yorkville. On the same street, the six-suite Number Nine Jackes averages about $1,467, while older Yonge Street stock like The Ports at 1177 Yonge averages about $582, a reminder of how wide the range is in this part of the city.

When I checked, three suites were for sale, all two-bedroom or two-plus-den plans, asking from about $1,699,000 to about $1,899,999. There were no suites listed for rent at the time.

With few listings and large, varied suites, every resale here is its own case. I would rely on recent sold data in the panel and a careful comparison of size, floor and outdoor space rather than a simple price per foot.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Jack Condos

The amenity list is short and practical: concierge, gym, party room, a rooftop deck and visitor parking. In a building this size, that keeps fees focused on service rather than on facilities most downsizers never use.

Jatin’s honest take on The Jack Condos

The Jack Condos — 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.