Fleur Condos, 60 Shuter St: Menkes’ Cantilevered Tower at Church and Shuter

Fleur is the tower at Church and Shuter whose top section leans out over the street. Menkes and architectsAlliance gave it a stone-and-glass base that takes its cue from St. Michael’s Cathedral across the road, and a wider range of suite sizes than most of its neighbours. That range is the reason I bring buyers here who have outgrown a one-bedroom but still want to walk to work. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A tower that steps out over Shuter

Fleur rises to about 85 metres. architectsAlliance gave it a massing that breaks with the standard point tower on a podium: the tower pulls back from the corner of Church and Shuter, and different setbacks and angles on each face give it an irregular silhouette.

The most unusual part is the top. Floors 24 to 29 cantilever over the south side, extending progressively farther out until the west end sits 2.85 metres beyond the floors below. The mechanical penthouse is wrapped inside the top residential floor rather than sitting on the roof as a separate box.

The tower is clad in a glazed window wall with dark aluminium frames and projecting fins. If you buy in the cantilevered section, ask about the suite’s exact layout, because the south wall shifts from floor to floor.

A podium that answers the cathedral

The base is a three-storey glass and stone podium. Menkes describes it as drawing on the neighbourhood’s churches, including St. Michael’s Cathedral directly across Shuter, which is a sensible gesture for a corner with this much history around it.

The podium holds about 576 square metres of ground-floor retail along with residential common spaces and some suites. Below grade, the building has a four-level underground garage. Construction ran from site clearance in late 2016 to completion in 2020.

Living across from a working cathedral and next to St. Michael’s Hospital has real day-to-day effects. Expect services and events at the cathedral, and ambulance traffic around the hospital a block away. Some buyers love the setting; light sleepers should check which way the suite faces.

More choice in suite sizes

Suites run from about 430 sq ft to about 1,125 sq ft. That upper end is what sets Fleur apart from Core Condos next door, where nothing goes much above 775 sq ft. The current listings include a three-bedroom and a two-bedroom-plus-den in the 800 to 999 sq ft range.

For a couple planning a child, or a buyer who needs a real home office, those larger plans are hard to find in a new tower this close to the core. They also tend to be in shorter supply at resale, so if one comes up in the layout you want, be ready.

Smaller suites at Fleur compete with hundreds of similar one-bedrooms on Shuter, Queen and Dundas. They still sell and rent well, but they will not stand out as easily as the larger plans.

Right now there are more suites at Fleur listed for lease than for sale, which suggests investors own a meaningful share of the building. That is normal for a new tower this close to the hospitals and universities. It is worth asking the property manager roughly how many suites are owner-occupied, because it shapes how busy the elevators are on move-in days and how the board is run.

Church and Shuter today

Menkes markets the location as the historic Garden District. In practice, you are a few blocks from the Eaton Centre, Toronto Metropolitan University, Massey Hall and the St. Lawrence Market, and within walking distance of the Financial District. Transit, school and park details are in the data panel.

The block has filled in quickly. Core Condos at 68 Shuter, 77 Shuter across the street and 88 Queen to the south have all been completed in recent years. East toward Sherbourne, the streetscape changes quickly; walk your route home at different times of day before you decide.

What Fleur costs

The building average sits around $833 per square foot. That is below its neighbours: Core Condos at about $873, 77 Shuter at about $848 and 88 Queen at about $887. Part of the gap reflects Fleur’s larger average suite size, since bigger suites usually trade lower per square foot.

Current listings show fees around $0.88 per square foot. The fee covers common elements, building insurance and water, but not heat, hydro or air conditioning. Core next door includes heat and cooling, so its higher fee is not as different as it looks.

The simplest way to compare Fleur with Core is to add a typical monthly heating, cooling and hydro bill to Fleur’s fee, then divide the total by the suite size. On that basis the two buildings tend to land closer together than the headline fees suggest, and Fleur’s lower purchase price per square foot does the rest.

Two suites are listed for sale right now, asking between about $650,000 and $699,000, with fees from roughly $730 to $847 a month. For recent sold prices and rents, see the data panel or my building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at Fleur Condos

Menkes built the amenities around how people actually live in a downtown suite: a co-working area with large communal tables and power, a lounge with a fireplace, a media room and a corner gym and yoga studio with plenty of daylight. The outdoor terrace with a cooking station and fire pit is the space residents use most in summer. There is no pool, which keeps one large cost out of the reserve fund.

Jatin’s honest take on Fleur Condos

Fleur Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at St. Lawrence, the Financial District and Downtown Yonge more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.