Ivory on Adelaide, 400 Adelaide St E: Hariri Pontarini in Old Town

Ivory on Adelaide is what I show buyers who want a well-designed, ten-year-old building east of Jarvis without paying King East loft prices. Hariri Pontarini designed it, Plaza built it, and the fee sits in a sensible range. The trade is that heat and water are the only utilities covered, and parking is not in the fee. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A building that grew during the approvals

When Plaza released the first renderings in 2011, Ivory was a 19-storey, 272-suite project. By the time construction was underway in 2013, coverage described it as 22 storeys and about 358 suites, and condos.ca now lists 357. That growth matters for one reason: it is a mid-size building, not a boutique one, and the amenity and elevator load reflect that.

Most of the inventory is one-bedroom, one-plus-den and two-bedroom suites. When the project was selling, the two-bedrooms were the last to go, which tells you the original buyer pool leaned toward investors and first-time buyers. Expect a fair share of rented suites, and check the panel on this page for the actual owner and renter mix.

What the architecture actually gives you

Hariri Pontarini, the firm behind One Bloor and much of Yorkville, designed Ivory as a long mid-rise slab with two lower wings. The name comes from the base: off-white precast concrete on the lower floors, with glass and steel above. Some balconies are recessed into the facade like outdoor rooms, while others project in the usual way.

Christopher Hume reviewed the building for Storeys in 2018 and gave it a B. His view was that it still looms over Adelaide, but that it gives back about as much to the street as it takes. I think that is fair. It is a better-detailed building than most of its 2015 peers, not a landmark.

The entry is set back behind a landscaped courtyard with reflecting pools, and three retail units face Adelaide. The interiors were by Bryon Patton and Associates, and original suites came with stone counters, porcelain tile and a six-appliance package. After ten years, many suites have been updated, so judge each one on its own condition.

The recessed balconies are the detail I would pay attention to when you tour. A recessed balcony is more private and more usable in wind, but it also cuts daylight into the room behind it. A projecting balcony gives you more light inside and less shelter outside.

Suites range from about 520 square feet for a compact one-bedroom up to roughly 1,389 square feet. The larger plans are the scarce product here. If you need a real second bedroom with a door and a window, focus on the 800-square-foot-plus listings; the one-plus-dens are mostly a one-bedroom with a work nook.

Daily life on this stretch of Adelaide

Ten years ago this part of Adelaide was mostly old industrial and institutional buildings. George Brown College now occupies the former bakery nearby, and the street mixes students, office workers and residents. St. Lawrence Market and the King East design strip are a walk away, and the Distillery District is reachable on foot.

Adelaide is a one-way westbound arterial, so suites facing it get traffic and some noise. Courtyard-side and upper suites are quieter. The surrounding blocks are still filling in with new towers, so expect construction nearby for a few years. The panel on this page covers transit and Walk Score.

What to look for when you tour

Start with the facade side. Suites behind the ivory precast on the lower floors have smaller window openings than the glass-clad upper floors, so the same plan can feel noticeably darker lower down. Stand in the living room at midday before you compare prices between floors.

Then look at the courtyard. The set-back entrance with reflecting pools is one of the nicer arrivals in this part of the city, but water features cost money to run and repair. Ask whether they are operating and whether the budget sets money aside for them.

Finally, ask about the retail. Three commercial units front Adelaide, and what occupies them affects noise, deliveries and smells at the base of the building. A café is a plus; a late-night use below a second-floor suite may not be.

Price per square foot and what the fee covers

Ivory averages about $812 per square foot. That sits below the newer towers closer to Yonge and below the King East loft conversions, and roughly in line with the 2010s high-rises around Richmond and Sherbourne.

Fees across current listings average about $0.84 per square foot. That is a moderate number, but compare it carefully: the fee here covers heat and water, while several nearby buildings, including The Modern and Post House, also include air conditioning and parking. If you are buying a suite with parking, ask the seller what the parking and locker charges are on top of the base fee.

Ten years in, the building also has enough resale history to judge price per foot by floor and exposure, which is more useful than the building-wide average. Upper glass-clad floors and south-facing suites should trade at a premium, and you want to know how much before you offer.

At the time of writing there were seven active listings asking from $450,000 to $855,000. One-bedroom and one-plus-den listings ranged from $450,000 to $580,000, and two-bedrooms from $699,000 to $855,000, with monthly fees between $395 and $802. My building sold report shows what has actually traded.

Building specifications

Amenities at Ivory on Adelaide

The amenity list is short: a gym, a party room, a rooftop deck and concierge. That keeps the fee in check, but if you want a pool or guest suites you will need to look elsewhere.

Jatin’s honest take on Ivory on Adelaide

Ivory on Adelaide — 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.