Primrose Towers II, 1121 Steeles Ave W: 1,000+ Sq Ft Under $400 a Foot

Primrose Towers II is where I send buyers who need 1,000-plus square feet in Toronto and have a budget that a new condo will not stretch to. It is a 1989 Menkes tower on Steeles West near Bathurst, with heat, hydro, cooling, cable and parking in the fee. You trade new finishes and a subway at the door for space at a price that is hard to find anywhere else in the city. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

The middle tower of a three-building Menkes complex

Menkes built Primrose Towers as a set of three 1980s towers along Steeles: 1101, 1121 and 1131 Steeles Avenue West. Each is its own condominium corporation, and Primrose II, at 1121, is MTCC-847, registered in October 1989, eight months after its neighbour at 1101.

That separation matters. The towers look alike and share a developer and a location, but each has its own budget, reserve fund, board and fee history. When you compare a suite here with one next door, compare the corporations, not just the suites.

Menkes is one of Toronto’s longest-running developers, and these towers are from the era when it built for owner-occupiers who wanted space.

Most buyers who look at Primrose II also look at 1101 and 1131. The suites are similar in size and age, so the decision usually comes down to three things: the fee, the reserve fund and the specific suite’s condition and view.

On current listings, Primrose II shows lower fees than Primrose I, at a little under $1,000 a month against roughly $1,130 to $1,410 next door. That is a meaningful difference over years of ownership, but fees only tell you part of the story. A lower fee paired with a thin reserve fund can mean a special assessment or a sharp increase later.

My approach is to ask for the status certificates and reserve fund studies for the corporations you are considering, then compare them side by side. The tower with the healthier reserve and the clearer plan for big repairs is usually the better buy, even if its fee is a little higher today.

Suites that start where new condos stop

Suites here run from roughly 1,047 to 1,433 square feet. In a new tower, a two-bedroom is often 750 to 850 square feet; here the smallest plans are bigger than most new two-bedrooms, and the larger ones are close to a small townhouse.

Expect the plans of the period: a defined dining area, a proper foyer, real closets and often a den or solarium. Kitchens are typically closed rather than open to the living room, and finishes depend entirely on how much each owner has updated.

An all-inclusive fee, and why that is not a red flag

The two current listings have fees of a little under $1,000 a month. That fee includes heat, hydro, air conditioning, water, building insurance, parking and cable TV, on top of common elements.

Spread across a 1,000-plus square foot suite, the fee works out under a dollar a square foot, and you have no separate hydro or heating bill. For a family running air conditioning all summer in a large suite, that inclusion is worth real money.

The risk runs the other way too. The corporation buys energy for every suite, so a jump in utility rates feeds directly into the budget. Check how the fee has moved over the last three to five years.

Parking is part of the fee here, which is a quiet advantage in an older building. You are not paying a separate monthly charge for the space, and the cost of maintaining the garage is already built into the budget you are reviewing.

What you do need to confirm is exactly what comes with the suite you are buying: how many spaces, whether they are owned units or exclusive-use common elements, where they sit in the garage, and whether a locker is included. Those details sit in the status certificate and the declaration, and I check them on every offer.

Older garages are also where the big repair bills tend to hide. Concrete and waterproofing work is expensive and disruptive, so look in the reserve fund study for when the garage was last restored and what is planned next. If the answer is vague, ask the manager before you firm up.

Living at Steeles and Bathurst

Primrose Towers sits on the south side of Steeles Avenue West, a short way west of Bathurst. Steeles is the city limit, so the other side of the road is Vaughan, and you can live in Toronto while shopping in either municipality.

The Bathurst and Steeles corner is already lined with mid- and high-rise apartment buildings, and more is coming. In June 2026 UrbanToronto reported a proposal for two rental towers of 39 and 43 storeys, about 1,000 units, at 6200 Bathurst Street just south of Steeles. Expect more density and more construction nearby over the next decade.

This is a car-friendly location with bus service on both Steeles and Bathurst. The automatic panel on this page covers the nearest transit, schools, parks and food.

Price per square foot, and what is listed now

The building average sits around $383 per square foot, which is among the lowest figures you will find for a Toronto condo in decent condition. For the same money as a small new one-bedroom downtown, you can buy a large two-bedroom here.

The two suites currently for sale are asking between $448,000 and $599,000. Fees across those listings are a little under $1,000 a month, with utilities and parking included.

Asking prices are only half the story. Check the 12-month sales data on this page for what has actually traded, and compare against the sister towers at 1101 and 1131 before you set an offer.

Building specifications

Amenities at Primrose Towers II

The outdoor pool, sauna and gym cover summer and winter, and the party and meeting rooms give larger families somewhere to host. A security guard on site is a meaningful plus for older owners.

Jatin’s honest take on Primrose Towers II

Primrose Towers II — 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.