Rise Condos, 501 St Clair Ave W: The Pool Tower at Bathurst and St. Clair

Rise Condominiums is the newer tower at Bathurst and St. Clair, and it is one of the few buildings in this part of midtown with an outdoor pool. It sits on the edge of the old escarpment, so many suites look south over Casa Loma toward the downtown skyline. It is a solid, ordinary building in a neighbourhood that is still changing around it. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An L-shaped building on the escarpment

Rise is built as an L: a lower podium runs along Bathurst Street and the tower rises at the corner with St. Clair. The site sits on the escarpment that cuts across this part of the city, which is why upper suites facing south get long views over the treed streets around Casa Loma and on to the downtown core.

The architect, Graziani + Corazza, gave the top of the tower a staggered grid of glass and frame, an idea described at launch as inspired by Mondrian. The rest of the facade is glass and steel, which keeps the building’s bulk from feeling heavy from the street.

Sources disagree on the height. The launch plans described a 26-storey tower, a Storeys review of the finished building gave 23 storeys, and the building profile lists 24. The difference likely reflects changes during approvals and how mechanical levels are counted, but it is worth knowing if you are comparing floor numbers between listings.

The south-facing suites are the ones to target if the view matters to you. The escarpment gives even mid-level floors a vantage that would need a much taller building elsewhere, but north- and west-facing suites look over the low-rise streets of St. Clair West instead, which is pleasant but a different product.

The pool is the reason to choose it

The amenity terrace on top of the podium includes an outdoor pool facing south toward Casa Loma and downtown. Outdoor pools are uncommon in midtown condos, and for a buyer who wants one this is a real differentiator.

The rest of the package is what you would expect from a 2017 building: concierge, a gym, a party room, a rooftop deck and a BBQ area. Nothing unusual, but enough that most residents will not need outside memberships.

An outdoor pool also has costs. It is used for only part of the year, it needs regular maintenance, and its equipment and membrane will eventually need replacing. Look for it specifically in the reserve fund study.

Suites, fees and what is included

Suites run from about 316 square feet to just under 1,500. The smallest are compact studios suited to investors or a first purchase; larger corner suites have floor-to-ceiling windows and wraparound balconies, which is the plan the developer used for its model suite.

II BY IV Design created the sales centre, and the suites were finished to the standard of a mid-2010s midtown launch. Nearly a decade on, some owners have upgraded and some have not, so compare condition suite by suite rather than assuming two listings on the same stack are equivalent. Ask what has been replaced, and when.

Fees include heat, air conditioning and water as well as common elements and insurance. Hydro is on you. Parking is not listed among the fee inclusions, so confirm whether a suite comes with a space and what it costs.

Current listings work out to around $1.35 per square foot in fees. That is on the high side for a building this new, and it partly reflects the bundled heating and cooling and the cost of running a pool. Compare total monthly cost, not the fee alone, when weighing Rise against a nearby building that meters heat and cooling by suite.

A corner still in transition

The building has retail at street level, and the critic Christopher Hume credited that frontage as its main contribution to the street. He also gave the architecture a C+, calling it competent but familiar, and argued that St. Clair west of Bathurst is a street in transition that deserved a building more attuned to where it is heading.

From a buyer’s point of view, that transition is part of the opportunity. St. Clair West has a mix of established restaurants, independent shops and older low-rise retail, with the Wychwood and Hillcrest neighbourhoods to the northwest and Forest Hill to the north and east. The data panel on this page covers transit, Walk Score, food and parks.

What Rise costs today

Two suites are currently listed for sale. Asking prices run from $648,000 to $1,000,000 of 800 to 899 square feet, with monthly fees of $781 to $1,091.

The two asking prices sit far apart because they cover different suite types, a compact one-bedroom-plus-den and a full two-bedroom. Compare on price per square foot against suites of the same type and exposure, not against the building as a whole, and remember that a south-facing upper suite with the skyline view will command a premium over a lower suite facing north or west.

With 274 suites and several units listed for lease at any time, there is enough activity here to price a suite with confidence. The data panel shows recent aggregate sale and lease figures, and my building sold report goes further.

Building specifications

Amenities at Rise Condominiums

The podium pool and terrace are the standouts and make summer here genuinely different from most midtown buildings. The gym, party room and rooftop deck cover the rest of daily life without anything unusual. Ask the concierge about pool season dates and guest rules before you rely on them.

Jatin’s honest take on Rise Condominiums

Rise Condominiums — 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.