The Eglinton, 125 Redpath Ave: Menkes on the Crosstown Corner

The Eglinton sits right on Eglinton Avenue at Redpath, which tells you most of what you need to know about who buys here: people who want to be on the Crosstown line and a short walk from Yonge, in a newer building from a large, established developer. Menkes completed it in 2019. The fee is the number I would look at hardest. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A Menkes tower on Eglinton itself

Most of the new towers around Yonge and Eglinton sit a block or two off the main road, on Redpath, Roehampton or Broadway. The Eglinton is one of the few that faces Eglinton Avenue directly, on the southeast corner at Redpath. The site used to hold a nightclub and an eight-storey office building, which were demolished in 2015; excavation began in 2016.

Menkes is one of Toronto’s larger and longer-established developers, and this was its entry into the Yonge and Eglinton condo boom. The architect, Giannone Petricone Associates, gave the tower a window-wall skin of clear glass with powder blue spandrel panels and mullions, so it is easy to pick out from the street.

The sources do not agree on the size of the building. Condos.ca lists 35 storeys and 444 suites. A sales-era listing gave 34 storeys and 378 suites, and UrbanToronto reported 33 storeys and more than 400 units during construction. The sales-era material also referred to the site as 161 Eglinton Avenue East. Confirm the exact figures in the status certificate if they matter to you.

Layouts, from micro-studios to family plans

Condos.ca records suites from about 303 to 1,253 square feet. Sales material quoted a starting size of 359 square feet, so the smallest plans are very compact. Studios and one-bedrooms under 500 square feet make up a lot of what comes up for sale, alongside one-bedroom-plus-dens in the 600s.

The larger plans near the top of the range are where this building is different from some of its neighbours. A suite over 1,000 square feet in a 2019 midtown tower is not common, and these plans tend to attract owner-occupiers rather than investors. They come up for sale less often.

In a building with this range, the typical owner varies a lot by floor and plan. Ask the seller how many suites on the floor are rented, and look at how the corridors and elevators are holding up. That tells you more about daily life here than a model-suite brochure will.

An amenity package with families in mind

The amenity list includes guest suites, a party room with a kitchen, a dining area and bar, a fitness centre, a media room, a meeting room, a wireless lounge and a kids’ room, plus an outdoor terrace with barbecues by NAK Design Group. There is no pool listed. The indoor amenity spaces were designed by Mike Niven.

A kids’ room and guest suites are small details, but they are useful ones. They tell you the building was planned for some households who would stay rather than only for investors, and guest suites are a real help when your suite is a one-bedroom and family visits.

Without a pool, the operating costs should be lower than at 150 Redpath or CityLights on Broadway nearby. That makes the fee level here worth a closer look, which I come to below.

Living on the Crosstown corridor

Being on Eglinton puts you on the Crosstown line and a short walk from the shops, cinemas and restaurants around Yonge and Eglinton, and from Mount Pleasant to the east. It also means traffic, buses and noise on the north side of the building. The data panel on this page covers transit, schools and walkability.

Suites facing south and east, away from Eglinton, will usually be quieter. Higher floors will have more open views, though the number of towers built and proposed on Redpath, Roehampton and Broadway means few views here are guaranteed.

The upside of all that building is that shops, restaurants and everyday services tend to follow the population, and this corner sits in the middle of it. The downside is years of cranes and road work. If you are buying to live here, I would rather you know that now than discover it after closing.

What The Eglinton costs, and why the fee needs a close look

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $868 per square foot, a little below 150 Redpath at about $919 and in line with other recent towers nearby. When I checked, four suites were asking between $350,000 and $619,900, with the two plus-den suites in the 600 to 699 square foot band.

Fees on those listings ran from about $313 to $657 a month. Condos.ca’s average across them is about $1.13 per square foot, which is high for a 2019 tower without a pool, even allowing for air conditioning being included. Sales-era material estimated fees around $0.59 per square foot. The gap may partly reflect how small the listed suites are, but it is a reason to read the current budget and ask how fees have changed since registration.

The fee covers common elements, building insurance, water and air conditioning. Heat and hydro are not listed, and parking was sold separately at launch, so confirm whether a suite includes a space or locker. For closed prices, use the sold data on this page or ask me for a building sold report.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Eglinton

This is a practical amenity package rather than a resort: gym, party and dining rooms, guest suites, a kids’ room and a barbecue terrace, with no pool. It suits people who will use the guest suites and party room more than a pool deck.

Jatin’s honest take on The Eglinton

The Eglinton — frequently asked questions

Looking at Yonge & Eglinton, Davisville and North Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.