House of the Week: $1.8 million for a Victorian home across from the Thompson Hotel
ADDRESS: 50 Stewart Street
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Waterfront Communities-The Island
AGENT: Craig William Emond, Model Suites Realty Inc., Brokerage
PRICE: $1,815,000
THE PLACE: Mining magnate Kevin J. van Niekerk bought this four-bedroom, 1880s-era home in 2008 and treated it to a down-to-the-bricks renovation. The upgrades included a top-floor master retreat, a custom kitchen, a built-in stereo system and an outdoor saltwater swimming pool.
BRAGGING RIGHTS: Victorian semis may be ubiquitous elsewhere in the city, but they stand out among the trendy glass-and-steel constructions of the King West area (the Thompson Hotel, for instance, is right across the street).
BIG SELLING POINT: A downtown property with a private pool? It’s practically an urban myth.
POSSIBLE DEAL BREAKER: Typical of city Victorians, this home is only 19 feet wide (so getting a king-size bed up to the third-floor master suite may be a challenge).
BY THE NUMBERS: • $1,815,000 • $9,156 in property taxes (2011) • 2,700 square feet (including lower level) • 4 bedrooms • 3 baths • 3 storeys (plus a finished basement) • 2-car parking • 1 gas fireplace • 1 outdoor saltwater swimming pool
