The Atrium, 33 Elmhurst Ave: 1981 Bramalea Tower, Hydro in the Fee

The Atrium is where I send buyers who want house-like space at Yonge and Sheppard and do not care whether the building is new. It is a 23-storey Bramalea tower from 1981, with suites that start around 1,290 square feet and a fee that includes hydro, heat, water and cable. In a neighbourhood full of 500 sq ft one-bedrooms, that is a different product entirely. I’m Jatin Dua, RE/MAX Quantum Realty.

A 1981 tower from the Bramalea era

Bramalea was one of the large Canadian developers of the 1970s and 1980s, and The Atrium is one of its North York towers. The Architectural Conservancy Ontario building record lists Raphael Burka Architects as architect, with M.V. Shore Associates as mechanical engineer and Sigmund Soudack and Associates as structural engineer, and gives 1981 as the completion year.

That date matters. This building went up decades before the Yonge and Sheppard condo boom, when North York condominiums were built for downsizers and families leaving houses, not for investors. You can see it in the suite sizes and in the generous fee inclusions, both of which come from a different era of condo design.

The building carries no heritage designation, and it is not trying to be architecture-for-show. What it offers is space, a full-service staff and a mature corporation with more than four decades of history behind it.

Suites that start where most towers stop

Condos.ca puts suite sizes at roughly 1,290 to 1,569 sq ft. In most towers built around Yonge and Sheppard since 2000, a suite that size would be a penthouse or a rare three-bedroom. Here it is the starting point, which is why the building draws people who are moving out of a house rather than into their first home.

Large older suites often come with separate dining rooms, real laundry rooms, more closets and an ensuite bath, and they usually feel more like a house than an open-plan condo. The trade-off is that many have not been renovated, and kitchens and bathrooms from an earlier decade are common.

Budget for renovation if you buy an original suite. That is part of the opportunity: an updated suite here can feel more like a bungalow on one floor than a condo, at a price per square foot well below newer towers.

Before you plan a renovation, ask the management office what the corporation allows. Older buildings often have rules on flooring underlay for noise, on who may touch plumbing risers, and on contractor hours and elevator bookings, and those rules shape both the budget and the timeline.

A fee that covers nearly everything

The maintenance fee includes common elements, heat, air conditioning, hydro, water, cable TV, building insurance and parking. Hydro and cable inside the fee are uncommon in newer buildings, and they make your monthly costs predictable year round.

On the two active listings, fees ran from about $1,034 to $1,059 a month. On suites of roughly 1,290 to 1,570 sq ft, that works out to well under $1 per square foot, and once you remember that hydro, heat and cable are already paid, it compares well with a newer building where every utility is billed separately.

The number to watch is not today’s fee but tomorrow’s. A 45-year-old tower has major systems that need replacement on a schedule, so the reserve fund study and the history of fee increases matter more here than in a new building.

Staff, security and the squash court

The Atrium runs as a full-service building, with a concierge, a security guard and a security system listed on condos.ca. For older owners and anyone who travels, staffed security is one of the main reasons to choose a building like this over a smaller, unstaffed one.

The amenity list reflects its era: a gym, a sauna and a squash court, alongside an underground parking garage. A squash court is rare in Toronto condominiums and almost never appears in new ones.

Elmhurst Avenue sits just west of Yonge near Sheppard, so the Yonge strip, the Sheppard Centre and the subway are close by while the street itself is quieter than the main roads. The panel beside this review shows the nearest station and walking time.

The streets around Yonge and Sheppard keep changing, with new towers and applications along Yonge and on the side streets. A 23-storey building from 1981 now sits among taller neighbours, so if a view matters to you, check what is planned nearby on the City of Toronto’s development applications map.

What The Atrium costs

Condos.ca did not publish a building average per square foot when I checked, so I would not quote one. What I can say is that large suites in a 1981 building generally trade at a meaningful discount per square foot to newer towers nearby, both because of age and because buyers price in renovation.

The way I frame it for buyers: take the price of a newer two-bedroom of about 800 sq ft nearby, add separate parking, hydro and heating costs, and then compare it with a suite here of 1,300 sq ft or more where those costs are already in the fee. The older building often wins on space per dollar by a wide margin.

When I checked, two suites were for sale and none for lease. Asking prices ranged from about $769,000 to $849,000, with monthly fees of about $1,034 to $1,059. The lack of rentals tells you this is largely an owner-occupied building.

With few listings at any time, comparables come from the building’s own sales over a longer window and from other large-suite towers of the same era. For what has actually closed, see my building sold report, and adjust for whether a suite is renovated or original.

Building specifications

Amenities at The Atrium

The package is built around staff and security rather than lifestyle extras: a concierge and a guard, a gym, a sauna and a squash court. For the buyers this building attracts, a staffed front desk usually matters more than a party room.

Jatin’s honest take on The Atrium

The Atrium — 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.