The Residences at 110, 110 Bloor St W: Big Suites Above the Mink Mile

The Residences at 110 is the Bloor Street address for buyers who want a full-size home rather than a showpiece tower. It went up around 1980 above the retail podium between Avenue Road and Bay, the suites start at roughly 1,100 square feet, and the fee covers almost every utility you can name. It is also a 45-year-old building on one of the best-known shopping strips in the country, and both facts shape what you are buying. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A residential tower on top of a shopping street

The defining fact of this building is what sits underneath it. The lower floors are a retail podium facing Bloor Street, the stretch often called the Mink Mile. Over the decades that frontage has housed names such as Celine, Louis Vuitton and Calvin Klein, and Retail Insider has reported that the podium owner, ProWinko Canada, put redevelopment plans in place in 2019 for a new façade and reworked retail units.

For residents, that means two things. The street-level experience changes with the tenants, and podium renovation work can bring construction disruption at the base. It also means the podium and the condominium above are separate interests, so ask how shared elements such as structure, entrances and loading are divided and paid for. That arrangement is set out in the condominium documents, and it is worth reading.

The block runs through from Bloor to Cumberland Street, and the north side faces the Village of Yorkville Park. Retail Insider’s report on the podium plans mentioned a possible below-grade grocery reached from the Cumberland side. Plans like that can change, so treat it as a possibility, not a promise, but it shows how much attention this site gets from its commercial owner.

The tower itself rises 18 storeys, about 66 metres. The Architectural Conservancy Ontario record lists a completion date of 1980; the condominium was registered in January 1981, which is why you will see both years.

Suites built for people who used to own houses

Recorded suite sizes start at about 1,100 square feet and run to about 3,473 square feet. There are no studios or compact one-bedrooms here. That is the old Bloor Street model: large two- and three-bedroom suites for downsizers and professionals who want a real dining room, a separate kitchen and space for furniture they already own.

Many suites in a building of this age have been renovated, some extensively and some not at all. The difference in value between an original suite and a fully redone one can be large, so price the renovation into your offer if you are buying an original unit, and confirm that past work was approved by the corporation.

Upper floors look over Yorkville and the downtown skyline, and the location on Bloor puts the Royal Ontario Museum, the shops and the subway close by. The data panel on this page covers transit and walkability.

The fee covers nearly everything, and that is the point

The fee here includes cable TV, air conditioning, common elements, heat, hydro, building insurance and water. That is unusually complete. In most newer Yorkville towers, hydro and often heating and cooling are on your own meter, so a lower fee there can end up costing you more each month.

Because the suites are large, the fee in dollars is large too. The right way to compare is total monthly cost: add hydro, heating, cooling and cable back onto a newer building’s fee before you decide this one is expensive.

An inclusive fee also means the corporation carries the cost of the central heating and cooling plant and its eventual replacement. In a building of this age, that is the line I would look for first in the reserve fund study.

A pool and a squash court, which almost nobody builds now

The amenity package reflects its era: an indoor pool, a sauna, a squash court, an exercise room, a security guard and a parking garage. Squash courts in particular have nearly disappeared from new condo towers, and an indoor pool on Bloor Street is a real draw for buyers who swim.

Pools and older courts are expensive to maintain and to modernise, so the condition of these spaces, and what the reserve fund has set aside for them, is part of the price you are paying.

How to think about price at 110 Bloor

With suites this large, the price per square foot is the fairest comparison, and it depends heavily on renovation and view. Next door, 102 Bloor Street West averages roughly $976 per square foot, and across the Annex buildings I track the median building average is about $970. Larger, older suites with inclusive fees often trade at a discount per foot to smaller suites in newer towers, because buyers weigh the higher monthly fee and the age of the building.

There was only one suite for sale and one for rent when I wrote this, which is typical for a building where owners tend to stay. That also means comparables can be thin, so a careful look at recent closed sales matters more than asking prices. My building sold report shows what has actually closed here.

When you look at the fee, divide it by the suite size and then subtract what you would otherwise pay for hydro, heat, cooling and cable. That net figure is the number to compare against newer buildings.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Residences at 110

A pool, sauna and squash court are a full recreation floor by the standard of any era, and rare in Yorkville today. Combined with an all-in fee, the building lets you live without many separate bills or memberships. Ask for the current hours, booking rules and any planned upgrades for the pool and court before you count on them.

Jatin’s honest take on The Residences at 110

The Residences at 110 — 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.