Home of the Week: A downtown Toronto heritage holdout
Home of the Week, 29 Draper St., Toronto. Asking price: $1,198,000. Originally built in 1881, it also happens to be the birthplace of Lincoln Alexander, Canada’s first black member of Parliament and lieutenant-governor of Ontario.Elliot E. George
There’s a big backyard and parking for multiple cars.Elliot E. George
When the current owner bought the home, it had already gone through many alterations; the front parlour had been turned into a convenience store. The ensuing renovation involved repartitioning the house. Mr. Xuereb worked with crews to take down the walls and other barriers that separated the front of the house (where the convenience store was) from the rest of it.Elliot E. George
With the help of his wife Paula, Mr. Xuereb gave the kitchen a total makeover and added a much-needed touch of modern functionality – multiple stainless steel appliances, including a drawer microwave. Ms. Xuereb oversaw the decor and worked to incorporate the classic motif of the house into its new kitchen by using darker shades of wood and continuing the regal oversized moulding along the upper cabinets.Elliot E. George
Upstairs, the original house had been divided into multiple bedrooms, some smaller than most people’s walk-in closets. The upper floor now has three rooms more suited to modern living, with plenty of space and sizable closets with built-in storage.Elliot E. George
The newel post at the bottom of the stairs is one of Mr. Xuereb’s favourite details. Originally at the top of the stairs, Mr. Xuereb went to great lengths to restore it, stripping it of its paint and giving it a new stain before making it the focal point of the main floor. It’s one of the first things you see when you walk in and sets the tone of the house perfectly: refurbished, repaired, renewed.Elliot E. George
The original claw foot tub is one of the many original details saved in the renovation.Elliot E. George