The Randolph, 356 McRae Dr: 50 Big Suites in Old Leaside, Hydro Included

The Randolph is the building I suggest to Leaside house owners who are ready to give up the stairs and the snow shovel but not the neighbourhood. It is small, it is quiet, and its smallest suite is bigger than many downtown two-bedrooms. It is also 35 years old, and that is the part you need to price in properly. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A boutique building inside a planned town

Leaside was laid out as a planned town in 1912 and 1913, when the owners of the Canadian Northern Railway hired landscape architect Frederick Todd to design a community around their rail yards. The town was incorporated in April 1913, and Laird Drive became the dividing line: homes, shops and the town centre to the west, industry to the east.

The Randolph sits on the residential side of that line. That matters, because most of the condo supply in this part of the city is either on Eglinton, on Bayview, or in the newer towers east of Laird. A five-storey building on a side street, surrounded by the house-and-garden fabric Todd planned, is a different product.

With only 50 suites across five floors, this is about as small as a condominium corporation gets in Toronto while still having an elevator, a garage and a gym. You will know your neighbours, board elections are not anonymous, and the building feels more like a private residence than a condo tower.

Suites sized for people leaving a house

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at about 819 to 1,586 square feet. There is nothing close to a 450-square-foot investor one-bedroom here. Even the smallest plan is roughly the size of a generous two-bedroom in a new building, and the largest is bigger than some semi-detached main floors in the area.

That size range tells you who the building was designed for in 1991: owner-occupiers, many of them downsizing from nearby houses. It also tells you why it trades the way it does. These suites rarely suit renters or first-time investors, so the buyer pool is narrower and more local, and well-kept suites tend to be bought by people who plan to stay.

I could not find published floor plans, ceiling heights or an architect credit for The Randolph, so I am not going to guess at them. When you tour, measure the rooms against your current furniture. Downsizers usually care more about where the dining table and the piano go than about the listed square footage.

What the fee actually covers

Condos.ca lists the fee as covering heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance, parking and common elements. Hydro and air conditioning are the ones to notice. In most newer buildings, electricity is on your own meter, and for a 1,200-square-foot suite with central cooling that bill can be substantial in July and January.

That inclusion is also the thing to understand before you buy. A building that includes hydro is usually on a bulk meter, which means owners share the cost of everyone’s consumption. Some older corporations have studied or installed individual suite meters to change that. Ask management whether the board has discussed submetering, because it would lower the fee and move a new bill onto you.

Parking is listed as included, but in a 50-suite building the number and type of spaces matter. Confirm in the status certificate whether the suite you are buying has an owned or exclusive-use space and whether a locker comes with it.

Daily life on McRae Drive

This is a residential street in one of Toronto’s most established neighbourhoods, and day-to-day life here is quieter than almost anywhere else you can buy a condo in the east end. Bayview Avenue’s shops and restaurants are to the west, and the big-box retail on Laird is to the east, on land that was once industrial. The Canada Wire and Cable plant on Laird closed its manufacturing in 1996 and the site became a shopping centre.

The biggest change nearby is transit. Line 5 Eglinton opened on 8 February 2026, and its Laird station sits at Laird Drive and Eglinton, with an entrance in the Leaside Centre parking lot. For a building like this, that adds a new way to reach midtown and the Yonge line without a car. The panel on this page shows the walking distances.

Leaside Memorial Community Gardens, with its indoor pool, ice rinks and curling, is the neighbourhood’s main recreation centre and part of the reason people who grew up here stay here.

Price per square foot, and why it looks low

Condos.ca shows an average of about $621 per square foot for The Randolph. That is well below what newer buildings along Eglinton in Leaside ask, and it can look like a bargain. Part of that gap is real value, and part of it is the age of the building and the size of the suites: larger units almost always sell for less per square foot than small ones.

There were no active listings in the building when I prepared this review, which is typical for a 50-suite owner-occupied building. Suites come up a few times a year at most, so you may need to wait or to be ready when one appears. My building sold report can show you what has actually traded here.

When you compare fees, remember to add hydro, heat and cooling, parking and water back onto any newer building you are weighing against this one. Once you do, the all-in monthly cost of a Randolph suite often compares better than the headline fee suggests.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Randolph

The amenity list is modest: a gym, a games room, a meeting room and bike storage. That is what keeps the fee focused on utilities instead of staffing a concierge and a pool, and for most buyers here a quiet lobby matters more than a party room.

Jatin’s honest take on The Randolph

The Randolph — frequently asked questions

Looking at Leslieville, Riverdale, the Beaches, Danforth and Leaside more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.