106 DUNVEGAN RD., TORONTO
106 DUNVEGAN RD., TORONTO
WHAT: A mid-century modern house with four bedrooms and five bathrooms in Toronto's Forest Hill neighbourhood. The house has 3,553 square feet of living space on a 42- by 128-foot lot.
ASKING PRICE: $2.645-million
TAXES: $14,751.20 (2008)
AGENT: Eileen Farrow, Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd.
When Jane Brisebois moved into 106 Dunvegan Rd., she loved the modern architecture and art deco influences. She has strived over the years to maintain the aura.
Ms. Brisebois and her family are only the second to live in the house, which was designed by the architectural firm Mackenzie Waters in 1955.
Mr. Waters came to prominence in the 1930s, and the art deco styling of the period was influential in his work at the house on Dunvegan.
In the early 1930s, Mr. Waters worked on Maple Leaf Gardens when he was an associate architect with the Montreal firm of Ross & Macdonald.
Over the years, Ms. Brisebois undertook some renovations, but she maintained the arches and proportions of the original architecture.
"I've really loved living here," she says. "It's very open and very big but it's very human," Ms. Brisebois says. "It's very easy to live in."
In Forest Hill, where homes measuring 8,000 square feet are common, the house and its lot are compact. "Most people wouldn't consider 3,500 square feet little, but in this neighbourhood it's tiny," she says.
But real estate agent Eileen Farrow of Chestnut Park Real Estate Ltd. says the smaller footprint and city garden makes sense for many people - especially those who have a cottage or vacation home.
Inside, the house has spacious principal rooms with ceilings 9½ feet high.
"The beauty is in the room size, the height and the proportion," Ms. Farrow says.
The original metal casement windows and two sets of doors open from the living room to the garden. The dining room also has doors leading to the stone terrace and vine-covered garden walls. The kitchen is renovated with a built-in breakfast area and art deco details that tie the design to the rest of the house.
An architectural feature of the house is a grand staircase with aluminum railing.
Upstairs, the second-floor family room overlooks the front garden. A fireplace in the British Rumford style has a mantle carved of English pine.
Each of the four bedrooms has an ensuite bathroom. The master bedroom overlooks the garden at the rear.
Ms. Farrow says new owners may want to make some changes to accommodate a larger family, but she would like to see the home's architectural features preserved. "The sellers' preference would be to sell it to someone who loves it the way they love it."
Carolyn Ireland