Distinction Condos, 11 Lillian St: A Carved 19-Storey Midtown Tower

Distinction Condos is the tower on Lillian Street that looks as if someone took a chisel to its north face. It is a 2021 building, mid-sized at 159 suites, on a side street a few blocks south of Eglinton, and it has more family-sized suites than most of its neighbours. The fees are the part I would look at hardest. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A tower designed to look carved away

The name is a hint. Giannone Petricone Associates shifted the floor plates as the tower rises, so the north side reads as if it has been cut back in steps. UrbanToronto noted during construction that the effect is clearest from the southeast and southwest, and that is how most people first notice the building from Soudan Avenue.

The skin is more considered than the usual midtown glass box. Window wall with reflective glazing and grey spandrel runs up the tower, and the balconies are fronted with angular perforated metal screens in a bone-white finish alongside clear laminated glass. The podium is wrapped in dark brick with fritted glass and metal panels, which helps it sit more comfortably next to the houses that line the side streets.

The site used to be a row of semi-detached houses on Soudan Avenue, demolished in late 2017. That matters for one reason: the tower sits on a residential side street rather than on Yonge or Eglinton, so the front door is quieter than the address suggests.

A unit mix with real two- and three-bedroom suites

When it was approved, the plan called for 160 suites: 86 one-bedrooms averaging about 50 square metres, 68 two-bedrooms averaging about 73 square metres and six suites of three bedrooms or more averaging about 111 square metres. Condos.ca now shows 159 suites, which usually reflects a combination or two during construction.

In plain terms, the one-bedrooms are around 540 sq ft, the two-bedrooms are close to 790 sq ft and the largest suites run up to roughly 1,900 sq ft. A 790 sq ft average for a two-bedroom is more generous than many 2021 towers at Yonge and Eglinton, where two-bedrooms under 700 sq ft are common.

The six large suites are the rarity. Three-bedroom condos at this scale almost never come up in the newer midtown towers, so when one is listed here it competes more with a semi on a nearby street than with other condos. If you are a family weighing that choice, compare the monthly carrying cost carefully, because the fee on a large suite is substantial.

What the fee covers, and what it does not

The fee here includes common elements, building insurance and water. Heat and hydro are not listed, so expect to pay for your own heating and cooling and electricity on top of the fee. Parking is not listed as an inclusion either; the building was planned with a four-level underground garage, but you should confirm whether a given suite comes with a space or a locker.

Across the suites on the market when I checked, fees averaged about $1.11 per square foot. That is high for a building that is only five years old with nothing extra bundled in. Part of the reason is scale: 159 suites share the cost of a concierge, a dining room, a rooftop deck and a games room, and a larger tower spreads the same staff and systems over more owners.

Ask for the current budget and reserve fund study before you commit. A young building with fees already at this level needs a clear explanation of where the money goes and how increases are expected to trend.

Lillian Street in a growing pocket

Lillian Street runs south from Eglinton, east of Yonge, and this block has changed fast. Across the street, the Lillian Park rental towers by Shiplake and Collecdev added more than 500 rental suites around the same time Distinction went up, so the immediate area now has a much larger population than it did a decade ago.

Day to day, you are a short walk from the shops and restaurants on Yonge and on Eglinton, and the neighbourhood is mostly houses once you get east of the towers. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and nearby food.

The flip side of a fast-growing pocket is construction. More towers have been proposed around Yonge and Eglinton, and a new building can change your view or your light. Check the City of Toronto development applications map for the sites around Lillian Street and Soudan Avenue before you buy a suite that depends on its outlook.

Pricing: about $925 a square foot

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $925 per square foot. For comparison, Whitehaus on Yonge Street, completed the same year, averages about $876. The premium here reflects the design, the side-street setting and the larger average suite.

When I checked, there were six suites for sale and one for rent. One-bedroom-plus-den suites of 500 to 600 sq ft were asking between about $528,000 and $565,000, and two-bedroom and two-plus-den suites were asking between about $669,000 and $838,000. The few three-bedroom suites sit in a separate bracket and should be priced against freehold alternatives as much as against condos.

Monthly fees on those listings ranged from about $570 to just over $1,500, depending on size. For an aggregate view of what has actually sold here, use my building sold report rather than relying on asking prices.

Building specifications

Amenities at Distinction Condos

Amenity space is spread over the ground, second and fourth floors with a rooftop deck on top, which means you are not stuck with one crowded party room. The dining room and rooftop barbecues are the pieces owners actually use, especially in the larger suites where people host family.

Jatin’s honest take on Distinction Condos

Distinction Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.