The PJ Condos, 99 John St: Angled Brick Tower at Pearl and John

The PJ Condos at Pearl and John is the tower in the Entertainment District that refuses to be a box. Hariri Pontarini gave it angled sides, floor plates that grow as it rises and a deep red brick podium, and Pinnacle International paired it with a public plaza on John Street. It also has one of the widest suite ranges downtown, from compact studios to plans over 3,000 square feet. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An angled tower on the John Street corridor

John Street is planned as a cultural corridor, a pedestrian route from the institutions around Grange Park down to the waterfront, and the PJ was designed for that setting. Its west side is angled, with canted columns at the base, a section that overhangs John Street and an off-centre chevron on the north face. Hariri Pontarini describes floor plates that grow as the tower rises, which is what gives it its sculpted look.

At street level, the angled west wall frames a wedge-shaped public plaza at Adelaide and John, designed by Janet Rosenberg + Studio. It was planned to complement the plaza across John Street at Pinnacle on Adelaide, the same developer’s earlier tower, so the two buildings read as a pair.

One thing to note on the numbers: the architect’s project page describes a 41-storey tower on a five-storey podium, while UrbanToronto reported 48 storeys at topping out, which matches condos.ca. The difference is probably in how the podium and mechanical levels are counted, but check the declaration if a specific floor matters to you.

More brick than glass, and why that matters

The podium and much of the angled west face are clad in crimson ironspot brick veneer on precast concrete panels, set in vertical bands, with half-moon shapes framing the windows and entrances at street level. The tower combines that brick with black aluminum-framed window wall.

Hariri Pontarini says the ratio of solid wall to glass exceeds energy code requirements. For you, that usually means a suite that is easier to heat and cool than an all-glass equivalent, and walls you can actually put furniture against. It also means less glass in some suites, so look at the window layout in the plan you are considering.

Balconies vary by side. UrbanToronto noted glazed balconies on the north face and Juliette balconies framed in black aluminum on the south. A Juliette balcony is a railing in front of an opening door, not outdoor space you can sit on, so check which type a suite has before you assume it comes with a balcony.

Studios at the bottom, three-bedrooms at the top

Suites range from about 543 square feet to about 3,390 square feet. The architect notes that larger suites of up to three bedrooms were placed on the upper floors, which is where the floor plates grow. That gives the building something most Entertainment District towers lack: genuine family-sized plans with views.

That range creates two different markets in one building. The lower and mid floors trade like any downtown investor building, with studios and one-bedrooms that are easy to rent. The upper floors trade more like a luxury product, with a much smaller pool of buyers. Price them separately; a building average does not tell you much about either.

Living at Adelaide and John

This corner puts you between the Entertainment District and the financial core. The theatres and restaurants of King Street are a block south, the Queen West shops are a short walk north, and the office towers start a few blocks east. Most people who live here walk to work and walk to dinner.

Adelaide is a busy one-way street, and John Street fills up on theatre nights and during the film festival, when the area around King and John is often closed to traffic. Lower suites facing Adelaide will hear it. Pearl Street on the south side is a narrow, quieter street, but it is also the kind of street where loading and garage entrances end up, so check what sits below a south-facing suite before you choose it. If you are sensitive to noise, the upper floors and the side away from Adelaide are the safer bet.

The plaza at the base is public space, not a private courtyard. That is good for the street and means more foot traffic around your front door. If you are choosing a lower suite on the west side, visit on a warm evening and see how the plaza is used.

What the PJ costs, and the fee

The building average sits around $888 per square foot, which is moderate for a tower this new and this central. The large upper-floor suites pull the average down, because big suites usually trade for less per square foot than studios.

When I reviewed it there were three listings. Two were suites, asking roughly $380,000 to $697,000. The third was priced under $100,000 with no bedrooms listed, which is almost certainly a parking space or locker sold separately; it is a reminder that parking here can trade on its own.

Fees on the two suite listings ran from about $311 to about $604 a month, roughly $1.09 per square foot. That is on the higher side, and I could not confirm what it includes. An outdoor pool, a concierge and a large brick envelope all cost money to run and maintain. For sold figures, use the aggregate data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The PJ Condos

An outdoor pool is the standout here, and it is not something you find in many downtown towers. It is a summer amenity in Toronto, and it still costs money to maintain year-round, so weigh it against the fee rather than treating it as free.

Jatin’s honest take on The PJ Condos

The PJ Condos — frequently asked questions

Looking at King West, Liberty Village and CityPlace more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.