Chaplin Place, 20 Glebe Rd W: 22 Suites and Two-Storey Penthouses

Chaplin Place is one of the few midtown condominiums that a city architecture critic went out of his way to praise. It is four storeys of brick with 22 suites, on a side street off Yonge between Davisville and Eglinton, and the top floor has two-storey penthouses. It is small, quiet and rarely for sale, and that combination needs a careful buyer. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A small building with a reputation

Chaplin Place was named one of the top 10 urban condos in Toronto by Christopher Hume, the Toronto Star’s long-time architecture critic. That kind of recognition is rare for a 22-suite building, and it tells you something about how it was designed.

The appeal is restraint. It is a low brick building that fits the scale of the houses and walk-ups around it, rather than a tower set back behind a plaza. Across the street, Allure at 23 Glebe Road West is a 10-storey, 195-suite building from 2015. Next to it, Chaplin Place still reads as part of the older residential street.

Shar-Dee Towers built it in 1984. I could not confirm the architect from public sources, so if the design history matters to you, the original plans and declaration in the status certificate package are the place to look.

Two-storey penthouses and house-like plans

Suites run from about 816 sq ft to about 1,557 sq ft. There are no tiny units here, and with only 22 suites across four floors, each floor has a handful of neighbours. You will know the people you share the elevator with, and in a building this size, owners tend to stay a long time.

Ask for the floor plan of any suite you consider, and check whether it has a terrace or balcony, since outdoor space varies across the building.

The top floor is the interesting part. At least some penthouses are two-storey suites, with living and entertaining space on one level and bedrooms on the other. One I reviewed had a split layout, a walk-in dressing room off the primary bedroom, an enclosed terrace looking into mature trees and generous storage. For a buyer coming out of a house, that two-level layout feels much more like home than a single-floor condo does.

One listing described a wood-burning fireplace while its own data table said there was none. Fireplaces in older condos are worth confirming in person and with management, both for whether they work and whether the corporation allows them to be used.

Heat is on you, parking is in the fee

The fee here covers common elements, building insurance, parking and water. Heat is not on the list, and a listing describes electric baseboard heating with central air conditioning. In practice that means a winter hydro bill on top of your fee.

That is not unusual for a low-rise building of this age, but it changes how you compare it. Ask for the seller’s hydro bills for a full year, because electric heat in a suite over 1,000 sq ft can add a noticeable amount in January and February.

Parking is included, and listings show suites with one underground space and an exclusive locker. Visitor parking is available, and the building allows barbecues, according to condos.ca, which matters if you have a terrace.

Living between Davisville and Eglinton

Glebe Road West runs west from Yonge in the Chaplin Estates area, between Davisville and Eglinton. You have Yonge Street’s shops, cafés, restaurants and grocery stores on foot, and the Yonge and Eglinton core is a short walk north.

This part of Yonge has seen heavy construction over the past decade, with new towers on the main road and on some side streets. A low building like Chaplin Place is affected most by what goes up beside it, so ask what is approved nearby before you buy.

I also like to walk a building like this at school and commuter times. Glebe Road West is a residential street, but its end at Yonge is busy, and you want to know how a suite’s exposure feels with traffic, delivery trucks and construction noise before you commit.

The transit, schools and parks around the building are listed in the data panel on this page.

Pricing a 22-suite building

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $621 per square foot. That is low for an address this close to Yonge and Eglinton, and it reflects the age of the building, the separate heating cost and the small pool of buyers who look for this kind of suite.

There were no suites for sale when I checked. In a 22-suite building, one or two sales a year is normal, so there is rarely a current comparable. I price these by looking at the building’s sales over several years and at similar low-rise condos in Chaplin Estates and Davisville, adjusted for renovation.

Renovation level matters a great deal here. A suite with an updated kitchen and bathrooms can be worth noticeably more than one with original finishes, so I would always set the price against the work you would need to do.

On carrying costs, add a realistic hydro figure to the fee before comparing with newer buildings. A newer midtown condo may have a lower fee and a higher price per foot, but if it bundles heat, the monthly gap can be smaller than the fee alone suggests.

If you want a private estimate of what a suite here is likely worth, book a call and I will walk you through the comparables.

Building specifications

Amenities at Chaplin Place

There is no gym, pool or concierge here, and that is the point: your fee pays for the building and your parking, not an amenity floor. Barbecues are permitted, which makes the terraces genuinely usable in summer.

Jatin’s honest take on Chaplin Place

Chaplin Place — 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.