Della Rollins
When William Hurren bought his Queen Anne Revival-style home at 297 Carlton St. in 1976, it was a squalid halfway house with tomato juice cans hanging from the ceilings in place of light fixtures.
"There wasn't a light fixture in the place," he recalls now.
The plaster walls were rough and the elaborately-carved wood was neglected. Nevertheless, believing the landmark houses of Cabbagetown were worthy of restoration, Mr. Hurren bought the property the first day it came to market.
In the late 1950s, the gracious Victorians of Carlton St. were slated for demolition in order to pave an express route to the Don Valley Expressway. The land at 297 Carlton St. was expropriated and the buildings were due to be razed.
Urban theorist Jane Jacobs and other activists intervened to preserve the city's European-style neighbourhoods and the houses of Carlton were saved from doom. After that narrow escape, the house languished until Mr. Hurren came along and began a lengthy restoration of the house, gardens and coach house. Thirty-four years later, he's still making improvements.
The house was built around the year 1890 by custom builder Alexander J. Brown for his own family, according to the research of real estate agent Miriam Rand of Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Johnston & Daniel Division.
"He obviously put a lot of detail into it that wouldn't have been common at the time," says Ms. Rand.
In the early 1900s, the Lounsbury family purchased the house and turned the coach house into a pickle factory for their food and condiments business, Mr. Hurren says.
"The whole neighbourhood smelled of pickles."
When Mr. Hurren took possession, he found that the house was shabby but many original features were untouched.
In the grand entranceway, he had the ash, cherry and walnut woodwork refinished. Some of the stained glass was intact but many had been broken. He searched antiques stores for a new panel of leaded glass for the vestibule door.
The dining room has a coffered ceiling, original fireplace surround and a candle-lit chandelier which has never been wired.
The kitchen was divided into two small rooms, but Mr. Hurren had the space opened up and overhauled twice. Originally he put in a contemporary kitchen which became the site for many television commercials, but when he renovated again a few years ago he opted for a heritage look.
Today the kitchen has a coffered ceiling, stainless steel appliances and a breakfast area with a fireplace and doors leading to the garden.
Mr. Hurren tore down a dilapidated barn on the property but two pressed glass panels he found inside have been turned into doors for a built-in corner cabinet in the kitchen.
Throughout the house, Mr. Hurren added central air conditioning, fireplaces and bathrooms.
"When I bought the house it had one bathroom - now it has seven."
On the second floor, Mr. Hurren created two guest rooms with ensuite bathrooms. In the bathroom of the master suite, the original claw foot bathtub, unpainted wood panelling and marble vanity all remain. Over the years, the legs of the vanity had been painted silver, says Mr. Hurren. He had the original brass and copper finishes restored. At the front of the house, he has created an office with an alcove and fireplace. Each room offers lots of storage.
"The unusual thing for 1890 is that every room had a large closet."
On the third floor, Mr. Hurren has created a separate flat with a loft above. The doors to the flat are original to the house. Mr. Hurren rescued the doors and their stained glass inset panels after he found they had been used as wheelbarrow ramps during the gutting of the house next door. The flat also has a rooftop terrace with a garden structure to provide shade.
"When you look outside in the summer all you see is green," he says gesturing to the treetops. One break in the trees offers a city skyline view of the CN Tower and downtown.
Outside, a walled garden with a gazebo sits between the main house and the coach house.
In recent years, the house has been the setting for charity events, parties and weddings. One Toronto-based retailer shot images for a promotional magazine there.
Mr. Hurren says he sometimes tries to keep the entertainment in the principal rooms but guests become mesmerized and set out on self-guided tours.
"People just wander off," he says.
Over the years, all of Cabbagetown has been designated as a heritage conservation district and the property at 297 Carlton stands as one of the largest.
"It's a piece of Toronto history," says Mr. Hurren.
Mr. Hurren says the coach house tucked behind the main house is a very private dwelling with its own secret walled courtyard and, behind that, a large south-facing garden.
"It's really neat - it's hidden away - no one knows it's here."
Most coach houses were built originally to accommodate horses. At 297 Carlton, the two-storey brick building was transformed over the years as it became living quarters for a chauffeur and then the pickle factory.
Today it has a living room, kitchen and dining room with a bow window on the main floor. Sleeping quarters are in the loft above.
For years Mr. Hurren rented it to a high-profile executive who enjoyed the privacy.
297 Carlton St.
Asking price: $4.9-million
Taxes: $12,051.57 (2010)
Square footage: more than 6,000
Lot size: 40- by 206.9-feet
Agents: Miriam Rand (Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Johnston & Daniel division) and David Harland (Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd.)
Carolyn Ireland