The Orion, 1231 Yonge St: A 40-Suite Office Conversion in Summerhill

The Orion is one of the smallest condos on the Yonge strip between Rosedale and St. Clair: four storeys, 40 suites, and a lobby you could miss if you blinked. condos.ca describes it as a former office building, and that history explains a lot about how it lives. It is a rare chance to own in Summerhill without buying a house, but the fee structure and the street next door both need a careful look. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

From offices to 40 condo suites

condos.ca describes The Orion as a former office building converted into a boutique condominium. I could not find the original office history or the conversion architect in any source I checked, so treat the details as something to confirm in the disclosure documents. What is clear is the result: a four-storey building with 40 suites, registered as a condominium in February 1999.

Office conversions tend to share some traits: wider column spacing, larger windows and, often, ceilings higher than a typical 1990s condo. A recent listing here described high ceilings in its suite, which fits that pattern. Layouts can also be less conventional than in a purpose-built condo, with deeper floor plates and interior rooms. Walk the plan rather than relying on the square footage.

The developer is unclear. condos.ca leaves the field blank, while CondoInvestments.ca lists the Sorbara Group of Companies. Either way, in a building this age the original developer matters far less than how the corporation has maintained it since.

Suites, outdoor space and the shared deck

Suites run from about 614 square feet to roughly 1,765 square feet, so the building mixes compact one-bedrooms with large suites that suit downsizers who want to stay in the neighbourhood. With only 40 suites across four floors, you are never far from the stairs, and the elevator is rarely busy.

condos.ca lists a rooftop deck. A recent listing described an expansive second-floor deck with a barbecue. These may be the same space described two ways or two separate areas; ask to see it. Either way, it gives owners shared outdoor space that most small Yonge Street buildings do not have.

Inside, condos.ca lists a party room and a meeting room. That is the extent of the amenity list. There is no gym or pool on any source I found, and for a building of this size I would not expect one. Keep in mind that a small amenity list is part of why a 40-suite building can keep its common costs in check; every shared facility is paid for by very few owners.

Parking: check the clearance before you buy

A recent listing gave a practical detail I would want every buyer to know: the garage entrance is on Summerhill Avenue and the clearance is about six feet four inches. That rules out many pickups, larger SUVs with roof racks and some vans. If you drive a tall vehicle, measure it before you fall in love with a suite.

Parking is not on the fee inclusion list here, unlike many buildings of this era. The same listing came with one parking space and one locker. Confirm what is attached to the suite you are buying, whether it is owned or assigned, and whether there is a separate charge for it.

Summerhill on foot, and what is coming next door

The address sits midway between Yonge and St. Clair and Rosedale, as one listing put it, in the stretch of Yonge known for food shops, restaurants and the Summerhill LCBO in the old North Toronto railway station. The automatic panel on this page covers transit, schools and parks in more detail.

Change is coming to this block. UrbanToronto’s database lists a proposal for 1233 Yonge Street, the next street number up, at the southeast corner of Woodlawn Avenue East: a 49-storey mixed-use condominium and rental replacement building with about 764 units, by Woodlawn Residences Corp with Arcadis as architect. It was at the pre-construction stage when I checked.

If that project proceeds, expect years of construction nearby, and a tower that could affect light and views for suites on that side. Ask the board what position the corporation has taken on the application, and look at the City’s planning file before you buy.

Pricing: a Summerhill address at about $908 per square foot

condos.ca puts the building average at about $908 per square foot. That is a reasonable figure for Summerhill, where most housing is detached and semi-detached and condo options are thin, and it is below many newer towers along Yonge.

At the time of writing there were no suites listed for sale or rent. One recent listing noted that its suite was the first to come to market in more than two years. Expect long waits between listings, and expect good suites to move quickly. With so few sales, a single average per square foot can be pulled around by one large or one renovated suite, so compare suite type by suite type over several years rather than leaning on the headline number.

Look closely at the fee. It covers common elements, building insurance and water only. Heat, hydro, air conditioning and parking are not on the inclusion list, so add them to your monthly budget before comparing with buildings that bundle them. My building sold report can pull the sold history together for you.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Orion

The amenities are a shared deck, a party room and a meeting room. You buy here for Summerhill and the small-building feel, and you use the neighbourhood’s shops, parks and gyms for the rest.

Jatin’s honest take on The Orion

The Orion — 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.