Rompin' Ronnie sells 'Graceland North'
Rockabilly legend Ronnie Hawkins has sold his 175-acre property that some have called Canada's Graceland.
Hawkstone Manor Estate hugs 3,300 feet of Stoney Lake shoreline and includes a 5,600-square-foot residence, two guest cottages on a peninsula, an event barn and a stable doubling as a garage. The property at 2250 6th Line Rd. and 754 Hawkins Rd. was listed this spring with an asking price of $4.25-million. It has now sold for $3.98-million to a private family who intends it for personal use.
"From August through September, we had over 20 showings from a variety of buyers coming through, and the last group that came through last minute really got the property," said listing agent Ross Halloran of Sotheby's International Realty Canada.
Canadian rock legends Rush worked on their album Moving Pictures at the Hawkstone Manor Estate.
"We believe it to be a great transition to a new family that's going to be developing it as a family compound."
The property is the largest waterfront estate on Stoney Lake. The main living quarters is 55 years old with five bedrooms, three bathrooms and sliding doors to the outdoors from most main floor rooms, including an entertaining area with ten-foot ceilings and stone fireplace.
The main living quarters is 55 years old.
Mr. Hawkins often used the barn, dating from 1917, as a recoding studio and stage. Over the past five decades, many of Canada's top musical acts recorded there, including Rush, which began its work on the hit album Moving Pictures there. John Lennon and Yoko Ono also famously spent the night at the property. "Two months ago, the barn was the site of a charity fundraising event called the Last Hurrah with featured musical guests Blue Rodeo and a cameo performance by Kris Kristofferson," Mr. Halloran said.
The property boasts 3,300 feet of shoreline.
Given the age of most structures on the property, it was priced for land value, Mr. Halloran said.
"In cottage ownership, everyone is basically evaluating it in terms of two things: which way does the shoreline face and how much of it is there. In this case, there's 3,300 feet of shoreline and least two thirds face straight west," Mr. Halloran said.
"It's a real rare property with idiosyncratic elements, like there was a marsh on one side with an area to protect certain species of turtles … there's a lot of forest that's part of the farm property and cleared property, so it was like three properties in one."
Sydnia Yu
Price cut for Ottawa's most expensive condo
Unit 1904 at 1035 Bank St. in Ottawa is the city’s most-expensive high-rise condo listing.
The sellers have knocked $200,000 off the price of a condo that, at $2.45-million, currently ranks as Ottawa's most expensive high-rise home.
The two-bedroom, two-bathroom suite is located on the 19th floor of 1035 Bank St., in the heart of the capital's posh Glebe neighbourhood.
Its two balconies have unobstructed views of the TD Place field – site of last weekend's Grey Cup game – and the adjacent Rideau Canal.
The current owner bought the unit as an unfinished concrete shell and gave designer Chantelle Charette of the Ottawa-based firm Studio 853 carte blanche to design the space.
Listing agent Marilyn Wilson of Dream Properties Inc. Brokerage in Ottawa said it was originally priced at $2.65-million. The price includes all furnishings.
The current owner bought the unit as an unfinished concrete shell and gave designer Chantelle Charette of the Ottawa-based firm Studio 853 carte blanche to design the space. More than $1-million was spent decorating and furnishing the unit, including $18,000 for custom marble and bronze flooring in the foyer and another $18,000 for a rich mahogany sliding door.
The condo has unobstructed views of TD Place and the Rideau Canal.
"They'll never be obstructed views, unlike Toronto where you'll buy something and you're not sure if another high-rise is going up next door," Ms. Wilson said.
Adam Stanley
Shanghai-based developer makes waves on Toronto's waterfront
Shanghai-based Greenland Group has launched its first stand-alone Canadian project on a 3.85-acre site in Toronto's emerging East Bayfront community. The company, founded in Shanghai in 1992 and now operating in 13 cities in nine countries including the United States and Australia – will create a mixed-used community, called Lakeside Residence, with 2,000 units and more than 30,000 square feet of retail space within seven towers at 215 Lake Shore Blvd. E.
"It would be unusual for any new developer to take on a master plan of this size and scale if they were new to the marketplace, but Greenland is the exception," said Amanda Milborne Ireland, chief operating officer of Milborne Real Estate, which is handling Lakeside sales for Greenland Group (Canada).
"They have such a long track record of developing master-planned communities, especially waterfront master-planned communities, so they saw exactly what they were looking for in this lakeside site and were able to bring together a design and architecture team to craft a beautiful master plan that really fits not just in their portfolio, but also within the Toronto market."
In 2014, the developer gained a foothold in Toronto with the acquisition of King Blue, a mixed-use hotel and condominium project the Easton's Group and Remington Group marketed and sold in the Entertainment District.
However, Greenland has been involved from the onset with Lakeside Residences – to be built on the site of a former FedEx distribution centre – starting with the selection of design firms Hariri Pontarini Architects and Cecconi Simone Inc.
The first phase will be a 49-storey tower with a 14-storey podium containing units priced between the low $400,00s and more than $1-million. Occupancy will be slated for 2021.
Sydnia Yu
Downtown Toronto, no bells, no whistles
15 Rebecca St., in Toronto is for sale for $679,000.
It seems like it can't be real. A listing in downtown Toronto offers a townhouse/rowhouse that's 14 feet wide (on a lot that's not even 60 feet long), has no basement, two bedrooms, one bathroom and has the appearance of a bomb having gone off inside.
This 100+-year-old "builders delight" features a water heater in the space designated as "kitchen" despite only having one lonely sink and two cupboards. But 15 Rebecca St. has one thing going for it: It's steps to Ossington and Queen in the coveted Trinity Bellwoods neighbourhood (even if its immediate neighbour is a self-storage facility). And it could be all yours for just $679,000 – maybe.
The townhouse is on a 14-foot by 60-foot lot, has no basement and features a water heater in the ‘kitchen.’
"The minimum price to get into Trinity Bellwoods is around $725,000. That's for a three-bedroom, seventies renovation, also with no parking," says Christine Cowern, local real estate agent who has her own team with Keller Williams Referred Urban Realty. Ms. Cowern also says Rebecca's price is set low to encourage a bidding war. "My guess, based on its current state, is that it might get a few offers, but it's unlikely to go for too much over $700,000. Believe it or not, $679,000 isn't overpriced for the house – it's the area, in this case, that flippers will pay for."
Shane Dingman