- 41 Binscarth Rd., Toronto
- LIVING SPACE: 8,200 square feet
- ASKING PRICE: $7.9-million
- TAXES: $37,576 (2007)
WHAT: Three-storey Georgian-style house built in Rosedale in 1908 for Sir William Meredith. It has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.
AGENT: Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd. (Margaret Bertrand and Lizanne Bertrand)
AMENITIES: A grand butterfly wood staircase with intricate spindles and handrail is the defining feature of the main hall. The ground floor has original details such as a leaded glass window in the foyer and an antique carved marble surround on the wood-burning fireplace. The south-facing living room has French doors opening to a terrace above the ravine. The dining room also has a wood-burning fireplace and floors inlaid with a herringbone pattern.
The kitchen has been updated with white European-style cabinets, a writing desk and built-in bookcases. There's a large breakfast area, and greenhouse windows overlook a sundeck that faces south and west.
The powder room has a custom-made vanity with marble countertop. In-ceiling stereo speakers pipe music to the main rooms.Upstairs, the master bedroom has a five-piece ensuite bathroom with heated marble floors and a glass shower stall. A wood-burning fireplace with marble surround warms the bedroom. The third floor has two new bathrooms, a laundry room and four bedrooms.
The lower level recreation room has a large wood-burning fireplace, beamed ceiling and a columned bay window with a view to the garden and pool.Outside, the house has an in-ground swimming pool overlooking a forested ravine.
The house at 41 Binscarth was designed by G.M. Miller & Co. Architects and finished in 1908 for a prominent politician, Sir William Meredith.
Sir William had been elected to the Ontario legislature as the Conservative member for London at the age of 32 in 1872. Within six months, he was leader of the party. Despite his stature as a politician, he lived a fairly secluded life at his Rosedale home, according to real estate agent Margaret Bertrand of Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd.
In 1900, he was appointed chancellor of the University of Toronto and in 1912 became Chief Justice of Ontario; he held both positions until his death in 1923. The jurist also gained fame as a floriculturist. The home at 41 Binscarth Rd. is set on more than 28,000 square feet of land, and the house is surrounded by trees and gardens.
"It's just a great, old, rambling Rosedale house," says Ms. Bertrand.
The house has been updated, with major changes made since Sir William's time. Originally, for example, a winding carriage road brought guests to the front entrance overlooking a ravine. The carriages then continued around to the rear of the house and parked on the flat land facing Binscarth Road.
But that orientation has been reversed, the homeowner says.
Today a driveway leads from Binscarth into the property, and the former front entrance to the house is now the rear.
The carriage way is now a private road shared by the owners of two houses.
Inside, the large, south-facing living room has tall ceilings and windows looking out over the trees. "You don't get a living room of this size in many houses," the homeowner notes.
The library has a wood-burning fireplace, built-in bookcases and windows facing south and east.
Ms. Bertrand says the main hall and principal rooms can easily accommodate more than 100 guests: "It's a wonderful party house."
A winged staircase leads to the second floor. A large window provides views of the garden on the way up or down. "The staircase is so beautiful," says Ms. Bertrand.
Upstairs, a large hallway connects bedrooms on the second floor. The master bathroom has an air-jet tub and walk-in shower.
Ms. Bertrand says the house has so far attracted the attention of investment bankers and other mavens of Bay Street.
It's well-located in the centre of the city, not far from the financial district, and with so many bedrooms it could easily accommodate a large brood, she says.
A second-floor bedroom with its own dressing room and sitting area is perfect for a college student, she adds, while the floor is ideal for a nanny.
On the lower level, the house has a large recreation room with above-ground windows overlooking a pool. The old beamed ceiling is still intact and a wood-burning fireplace heats the room when swimming season ends. "The kids adore it," says Ms. Bertrand.
Outside, she adds, the grounds offer lots of privacy because of the trees and the home's location on the ravine.
"It's wonderful in all seasons," the homeowner agrees. "This Japanese maple is one of the largest you will ever see," she says of the specimen stretching above the grand window of the main hall.
Most of the flat land is at the front of the house, where a long lawn stretches to the main road. Rosedale, Ms. Bertrand points out, is at the hub of the city but still offers ravine trails and lush gardens.
The current homeowners, who host a Christmas party every year, had 175 guests at their most recent one. Ms. Bertrand thinks the house would be best-suited to people who also love to throw big bashes.
"They've had some marvellous parties."