#parkdale
Why I Love 32 Beaty Avenue: The reason I need to marry rich
Parkdale is ________
Parkdale. It scares a lot of people and has a lot of misconceptions about it from drugs to prostitution to skinny jean wearing hipsters. However, if you travel deeper into Parkdale beyond its major routes and get lost in its system of one-way streets you’ll see the area has beauty and history. From the cottages on Trenton Terrace to the beautiful mansion at 32 Beaty Ave., which is the focus today, Parkdale is beautiful and historical.
This is what dreams are made of
32 Beaty Ave. is my partners dream home – something I’ll never be able to deliver. However, if my partner found someone who could afford the home, I’d understand.
The house is named Melrose, after the original owner’s hometown in Scotland. It dates back to 1879, a time when its front entrance overlooked Lake Ontario on the properties sprawling 300-foot private shoreline, which became Sunnyside Beach. The mansion was the home of banker James Lockie, who built Melrose with a number of stunning elements we now consider heritage and what I consider an art.
Notable features for the home include:
- 14-inch baseboards
- Ornate hardware on the doors
- Five wood burning fire places
- Ceiling medallions
- Three decorative chimneys
- Grand central staircase
- Victorian-era handrail
- Stained and leaded glass windows
- Large bay windows
- Mansard roof
- Decorative iron work
The home even had a conservatory, which was demolished at some point. During the restoration a foundation was discovered and a new greenhouse was built where Mr. Lockie’s had once stood.
Another element to this home is the 1890 tower. As mentioned, the entrance faced Lake Ontario, a view eventually populated with railroad tracks and the eventual backyards of the homes on Wilson Park Rd. When the house was built Beaty Ave. did not exist. With all the oomph of the house facing backyards, a tower was built to give it presence on Beaty Ave.
The man who brought this gem back to life
In its 100 years, the house has evolved with Toronto going through the good and bad times. With the Great Depression many of the homes around 32 Beaty and in Parkdale were abandoned. By WWII the mansion was left vacant for several years, eventually becoming home to psychiatric patients before Mr. Scythes the man responsible for restoring and modernizing the property took over.
Mr. Scythes is a well-known Torontonian. He is owner of the Glad Day Bookshop, the oldest gay and lesbian book store in the world, and an LGBT activist. One of his passions was this home as illustrated by his financial commitment to restore the dwelling and having it designated under the Ontario Heritage Act.
The home is truly an architectural and design masterpiece – something very rare in this day and age of homes with walls, ceilings, windows and floors possessing no character and are uniform with every other home. They don’t build them like they used to.
Mr. Scythes put the home on the market, but ensured it was ready for the next heritage lover to buy. The house went on the market last year for $4.4 million. Looking on the Sotheby’s website, it seems the price has been reduced to $3.4 million.
So if you’re in the market for mansion that once overlooked Lake Ontario. Look no further.
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