411 Church St Condos: The Honeycomb Tower With Heat and A/C In

411 Church is the tower with the honeycomb balconies at Church and Wood, across from the Loblaws in Maple Leaf Gardens. It is a building of small, efficient suites aimed at people who work and study downtown, and its fee is lower than I would expect for what it includes. The suites are compact, so that is where you need to be careful. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The honeycomb facade, and what it hides

The building was marketed at launch as Axis Condos and replaced a surface parking lot north of Church and Carlton. IBI Group gave it its signature look: the walls between balconies form stretched hexagons, and white slab edges and thick vertical frames create a three-dimensional grid across the tower’s flat north and south faces.

The windows are full height, with slim black vertical mullions and no horizontal bar at waist height, so the view is cleaner than in many towers of the same era. The tower rises about 122 metres.

The podium is more interesting than most. There is retail at grade facing a widened sidewalk, a taller office floor wrapped in curtain wall above it, four floors of suites over that, and two-storey townhomes facing the Wood Street sidewalk. If you want a ground-oriented home with tower amenities, ask about those townhomes.

Small suites, and what to look at when you tour

Suites run from about 468 to 775 square feet. That covers one-bedrooms, one-plus-dens, compact two-bedrooms and two-plus-dens, but nothing family-sized. Most current listings are in the 500-to-599-square-foot range, including two-bedrooms, which tells you how tight some of the two-bedroom plans are.

A two-bedroom in under 600 square feet usually means two small bedrooms off a combined living and kitchen space. It works well for roommates, a student and a parent investor, or a couple who need an office. It does not work if you want a separate dining area. Look at the plan, not the bedroom count.

The early UrbanToronto coverage gave a figure of 451 suites; current building data says 541. That is probably a transposed number in one of the sources, but it is worth knowing the building is large: more than 500 suites share the elevators and amenities.

Start with the view and the floor. The honeycomb frame is deep, so on lower floors the balcony walls can narrow the view to the side. Stand at the window of the actual suite, not the model plan, and check how much sky you see.

Next, check the exposure. North and south faces are the main suite walls, and south-facing suites get strong afternoon sun through full-height glass. With cooling included in the fee that is less of a cost problem, but it is a comfort question, so ask about blinds and how well the suite’s unit keeps up in July.

Finally, look at the lobby, the corridors and the gym at a busy time of day. A 2019 building that is well run should still look close to new. Worn finishes this early can mean heavy use from short-term tenants, and that is worth asking the board about.

A 7,000-square-foot gym and a work floor

The amenity package was built for downtown professionals and students. The fitness centre is about 7,000 square feet, which is far larger than usual for a building of this size, and the common areas include collaborative workspace and furnishings by Fendi. Building data also lists concierge and a party room.

The landscaping, by Strybos Barron King, includes street-level patios along the widened sidewalk. That makes the base of the building feel more like part of the street than a lobby behind glass.

Church and Wood, day to day

You are across the street from the Loblaws in Maple Leaf Gardens, which also houses the university’s athletic centre, and a short walk from Yonge and College. The Village’s restaurants and bars are steps north on Church, and Toronto Metropolitan University is a few minutes away.

This is a lively corner. Church Street is busy at night and very busy during Pride in June, and suites facing Church will hear it. Suites facing Wood Street and higher floors are quieter, and that is where I would look if you plan to live here rather than lease the suite out. The panel on this page covers transit.

Price per square foot and a fee that includes heat and A/C

411 Church averages about $914 per square foot. That is higher than buildings further east on Jarvis and Sherbourne, and in line with newer towers near Yonge and College. Small suites push the per-foot figure up, so compare suites of similar size.

Across seven current listings asking prices run from about $499,000 to $600,000. One-plus-dens and two-bedrooms in the 500-square-foot range ask about $499,000 to $600,000, and two-plus-dens in the 700s ask close to $600,000. That compression tells you the floor, view and parking matter as much as the layout.

At the time of writing there were seven suites for sale and eleven for rent. More rentals than sales is normal in a building with a large investor base, and it gives you a quick read on rents if you are buying to lease. It also means you will be competing with your neighbours for tenants every September.

Fees on those listings run from about $375 to $536 a month and average about $0.70 per square foot. For a fee that includes heat, air conditioning and building insurance, that is good. Hydro and internet are likely on you. Ask how the heating and cooling equipment in the suites is maintained, because shared systems mean the corporation services or replaces them on its schedule.

Building specifications

Amenities at 411 Church

The gym is big enough to replace a membership, and the workspace suits the students and remote workers who fill this building. There is no pool, which helps keep fees down.

Jatin’s honest take on 411 Church

411 Church — 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.