Manhattan Place, 131 Beecroft Rd: Big 1980s Suites, Every Utility In

Manhattan Place is the building I send people to when they want a house-sized suite in North York Centre and would rather pay one predictable monthly bill than five. It dates from 1982, it has an indoor pool and a squash court, and its fee includes nearly every utility. It also has the capital needs of a 40-plus-year-old tower, and that is the whole decision. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

An early North York Centre tower

Manhattan Place went up in 1982, built by Cam-Nest Developments and registered as MTCC-595 on 30 December of that year. That makes it one of the older condominium towers on Beecroft Road, from the period before the North York Centre office and civic strip filled in around it.

At 23 storeys and 227 suites, it is a substantial building, and every one of those suites is large. It is a very different product from the 2000s towers further north on Beecroft and along Yonge, which were built around one-bedrooms and one-plus-dens for investors and first-time buyers. Here, almost everyone who buys is planning to live in the suite.

I have not found the architect or a published design history. For a building of this age, the more useful history is in the status certificate: what has been replaced, what is planned, and how the reserve fund has kept up.

Suites that start where most condos end

Suites here run from about 1,240 to 1,819 square feet. There are no small investor units. The size range points to a building made up of large two-bedroom, two-plus-den and three-bedroom plans.

That is why buyers come. Downsizers from houses in Willowdale and Lansing can keep a full dining room and a guest room, and families can live here without feeling cramped. In a new North York Centre tower, this much space usually means a penthouse price.

Suites from this era vary enormously in condition. Some have been gutted and redone; others still have original kitchens and bathrooms. Budget for renovation if the suite is original, and check what the corporation’s rules say about renovations, flooring and noise before you plan any work.

A fee that replaces your utility bills

The inclusion list is one of the broadest I see in North York. Condos.ca shows common elements, heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance, parking and cable TV all covered. For most owners that means one monthly payment covers almost everything except internet and property tax.

The fees are high in dollar terms because the suites are large and the building carries every utility, a pool and a squash court. Compare it fairly: take a newer building’s fee and add hydro, heat, parking and cable back in, then compare per square foot. The gap is usually much smaller than it first looks.

The other side of an all-inclusive fee is that the corporation carries the energy bill for 227 large suites in a 1980s building envelope. When gas and hydro rates rise, so does the budget. Ask for the fee history over the last five years and what the board has done about energy efficiency.

Daily life on Beecroft Road

Beecroft runs parallel to Yonge on the west side, behind the North York Centre offices and civic buildings. You come home to a quieter street but are a short walk from Mel Lastman Square, the library, the theatre, and the shops and groceries along Yonge. The panel on this page shows the walk to the nearest subway station.

The neighbours are mostly newer. The Menkes Broadway and Ultima at Broadway towers sit just to the north, and the area keeps adding new buildings. That brings services and restaurants, and also competition from new rental and resale suites. Manhattan Place competes on space rather than newness, so that competition matters less here than in a one-bedroom building.

For drivers, having parking in the fee and quick access to Yonge and the 401 is a real convenience. For non-drivers, the location close to the subway and the civic centre is the reason to be here. Before you buy, walk from the lobby to Yonge at the time of day you would usually leave home, so you know exactly what the commute feels like.

Price per square foot, and what is on the market

Condos.ca puts the building average at about $503 per square foot. That is low for North York Centre, and it reflects three things: the age of the building, the large suite sizes and the high monthly fees. Big suites in older buildings nearly always trade at a lower price per square foot than small new ones.

Only one suite was listed for sale when I checked, with three listed for lease, so there is no asking range worth reporting. With supply this thin, I would price from recent sales of the same plan and floor here, adjusting carefully for renovation level. Having three suites offered for lease at the same time suggests owners see tenant demand for large suites this close to the subway, which is worth knowing if you might ever need to rent yours out for a year or two.

If you are weighing this against a smaller new suite at a similar price, run the full monthly cost of both, including utilities and parking, and compare the space you actually get. My building sold report pulls together what has traded here.

Building specifications

Amenities at Manhattan Place

An indoor pool and a squash court in a 1982 tower are a genuine draw, especially for active retirees. They are also expensive to keep running, so ask what condition they are in and what the reserve fund study says about them.

Jatin’s honest take on Manhattan Place

Manhattan Place — frequently asked questions

Looking at Willowdale, Yonge & Sheppard, Bayview Village and North York Centre more broadly? Start with my Toronto community guide — the neighbourhoods, what each pocket is like, and how they compare.