Gramercy Park Condos, 525 Wilson Ave: Built Around a Private Park

Gramercy Park is the building at Wilson and Allen that turned its back on the traffic. Its 500 suites wrap around a private half-acre park that only residents can use, and the fee covers heat, cooling and parking. It is a big building that feels quieter than its size, and that is why I like it for first buyers. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A London garden square on Wilson Avenue

The idea here is borrowed. The name comes from New York’s Gramercy Park, and UrbanToronto described the model as London’s private garden squares, where a park is reserved for the people who live around it and pay for its upkeep. At 525 Wilson the building wraps a central courtyard of about half an acre, and many suites face inward onto it.

That changes the daily experience. Wilson Avenue near Allen Road is a busy arterial with the expressway close by, and a suite overlooking the courtyard is a very different place to live than one facing the street. When I show this building, exposure is the first thing I sort by.

The courtyard is also a long-term cost. Landscaping, paving and the membrane over any parking beneath it are maintained by the corporation. Read the reserve fund study to see how the courtyard and its waterproofing are being planned for.

Courtyard buildings also tend to have long interior corridors, since suites line both the street side and the park side. Ask how far the suite you are viewing is from the elevators, and listen for corridor noise from the amenity pavilion if the suite sits close to it.

The glass amenity pavilion

The amenities sit in a two-storey glass building with the lobby below and the shared spaces above. UrbanToronto lists a pool, a fitness centre, a theatre and a second-floor deck; condos.ca adds a yoga studio, a hot tub, a party room, a media room and two guest suites.

Condos.ca also mentions a pet-washing station, which tells you the building was planned with dog owners in mind. I have not seen the pet rules themselves, so read the declaration and rules if you have an animal.

With 500 suites sharing one amenity package, busy times at the gym and pool will feel busier than in a small building. The trade-off is that the cost of a pool and 24-hour concierge is spread across many owners, which is part of why fees here stay reasonable.

Phase one of a larger Malibu plan

This building fronts Wilson Avenue, and it was the first phase. In 2019 UrbanToronto reported Southside Residences at Gramercy Park rising to the south, two towers of 15 and 17 storeys on a shared podium designed by IBI Group, adding about 500 more homes. Rocket Condos was going up nearby at the same time.

Brandy Lane’s The Station Condos sits directly to the west at 555 and 565 Wilson, and together these buildings have turned what was largely commercial land and surface parking into a dense residential cluster. That brings more shops and services over time, but also more people using the same corner.

Condos.ca puts suites at about 443 to 1,382 square feet, so the building covers everything from compact one-bedrooms to large two-bedroom-plus-den plans. Most of the resale flow is in the one-bedroom and one-plus-den range.

Daily life at Wilson and Allen

Wilson Avenue east of Allen Road has changed a great deal since this building went up. What was once mostly commuter parking and older commercial lots is now a cluster of mid-rise and high-rise condos, with more retail at grade along the street.

It is still a car-friendly location. Allen Road and the 401 are close, and the big-box retail around Yorkdale and Wilson is a short drive away. Bathurst Manor and Clanton Park, with their established houses, schools and shops, are just to the east.

The busiest thing about the location is traffic at Wilson and Allen at rush hour. If you work from home, a courtyard-facing suite takes most of that out of the picture.

Pricing: about $739 a foot, with parking in the fee

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $739 per square foot. That is close to The Station next door and to other 2010s buildings along the Allen Road corridor, and well below what newer towers closer to Yonge ask.

The fee is where Gramercy Park stands out. Condos.ca lists air conditioning, heat, water, building insurance and parking as included. Parking in the fee is uncommon in buildings of this era, and once you add a separate parking charge and a heating and cooling bill to a neighbour’s fee, the comparison often swings in Gramercy’s favour. It also means your monthly cost does not jump in a hot summer or a cold winter.

Price per foot also varies within the building. Courtyard-facing suites and higher floors usually command more than street-facing suites on lower floors, and the larger two-bedroom-plus-den plans tend to trade at a lower figure per foot than one-bedrooms. Compare like with like rather than against the building average.

There is only one active sale listing right now, so asking prices tell you very little. Ask me for a building sold report to see what suites of your size have actually traded for here and next door.

Building specifications

Amenities at Gramercy Park Condominium Residences

For a 2013 building this is a full package, with a pool, hot tub, gym, yoga studio and theatre in the glass pavilion. The private courtyard is the amenity that matters most day to day: it is green space you can step into without crossing Wilson Avenue.

Jatin’s honest take on Gramercy Park Condominium Residences

Gramercy Park Condominium Residences — frequently asked questions

Looking at York Mills, Don Mills, Lawrence Park, Bathurst Manor and midtown-north Toronto more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.