This North York house was built in 1958. It was last owned by a man employed at a construction company.
The bathroom colours are the vibrant hues that were often associated with the 1960’s. There’s a milk man door which would have been used by the delivery person who dropped off milk at the house, allowing access to the milk from both inside and outside of the house.
This house will be demolished to make room for a new home.
Video
A somewhat boring house with a disgusting fridge.
This 3-bedroom, 3-bathroom bungalow sits on prime land along a busy road with large subdivisions behind it. The address comes back to Cadet Cleaners, a dry cleaning service. Based on the interior of the house, it was most certainly a residence but may have operated as a drop off location for clothing.
Most of the furniture has been left behind in the living room, as well as the kitchen appliances. Given the area in which the house is located, it’s been well visited by those seeking destruction. The fridge was toppled over, the stairs ripped out, and most of the glass throughout the house has been smashed.
The owner of the property had been trying as far back as 1998 to have the property rezoned for new housing. The initial application called for a 4-storey building with 30 units. After a review, it was changed to 3-storeys and 28 apartment units.
It wasn’t until 2012 that the owners submitted an appeal. In 2015 the Ontario Municipal Board issued an order permitting a new construction height of 5-storeys and almost 90 apartment units. By the time the condos are built, it will have been over 24 years of submitting applications.
As of summer 2022, no progress has been made on the property.
Thanks to Lucas for the location!
Video
This house contains 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms and is located in the City of Toronto. It was last owned in by a Chinese family. During our exploration, we noted several Chinese vases left on the kitchen countertop. The owner wrote software for Android devices.
The highlight of this property is the wooden stairs, intricately carved doors and the large porthole window above the main entrance. The electricity is still functioning.
The familiar orange fencing surrounding the trees indicates to me that the property is destined to be demolished and the trees will be spared. I could find no mention online of any development taking place at this address.
Video
The Guyitt House is said to be Canada’s most photographed house. The house is located along the Talbot Trail (now known as Highway 3) in Palmyra, Ontario. Talbot Trail was named after Colonel Thomas Talbot, who during the 1820s, constructed the corduroy road to allow settlers and military personnel access to the land.
The Guyitt house was built in 1842 with additions added to it in 1920 and the 1940’s. It was purchased in 1908 by Roy Guyitt and Ethel Humphrey. Marriage records for the couple indicate that they were married on February 23, 1910 in Kent, Ontario. Roy came from a large family, he had twelve siblings.
The property is currently owned by Peter Anderson who lives down the road and who is the grandson of the Guyitts. Peter used to visit the house on weekends where his grandparents would give him a haircut and a bath (1).
The Guyitt home used to have a brick exterior however over the years the bricks began to fall off and were eventually removed for safety. The original design included a front porch and two exterior barns (burned down). If you venture close enough, you’ll notice that the window frames have hearts, circles and diamonds cut into them.
Anderson is not able to financially maintain the property but does keep the grass cut, and enjoys that other people are able to appreciate the property. Visitors should not enter the building, which has now begun to collapse on the right portion.
Roy passed away in 1965.
The house was demolished during the week of June 18th, 2023.
August 2014 Photos (not the greatest quality)
August 2022 Photo
Nighswander Equestrian was the business venture of Gloria and Jim Nighswander who lived in Aurora, Ontario. For over five decades Gloria and her staff taught students saddle seat riding techniques, provided riding lessons, and offered education on the variety of horse breeds. Nighswander Equestrian also offered indoor and outdoor boarding at their year-round operation. They also bred horses and sold horses.
The facility was located in Aurora Ontario upon 100 acres of land. The property featured large paddocks, an indoor and outdoor arena, heated tack rooms and wash stall.
Gloria herself has been riding horses since the 1970’s. She would often judge horses in Ontario festivals.
In 2012, Gloria was named Top Coach of the Year by the Ontario Equestrian Federation People Make a Difference. Gloria taught Saddle Seat to riders, including some who went on to represent Canada in the World Cup team. She has taught more junior and senior medal winners at the CNE in Saddleseat Equitation than any other trainer.
Her daugher, Sandra Nighswander-Rizzo has ridden hundreds of horses and in 2016, opened her own riding stable under the name of Royal Crest Equestrian Center.
Gloria’s husband Jim passed away in 2016. As for the reasons of the closure of Nighswander, perhaps Gloria has decided to enjoy a well earned retirement.
Humphries Planning Group has an interest in the property for the development of an industrial building and gas station with drive thru car wash.
Video
This extravagant mansion is located at 68 The Bridle Path in Toronto. It was built upon two properties that were combined into one creating nearly 30,000 square feet of land. The mansion was constructed in 1985 for real estate developer and financier, Robert Campeau.
During the 1980s, Campeau undertook several leveraged buyouts of businesses including shopping malls. Due to a downturn in retail sales, the debts taken on through several of these aquisitions were unable to be met. As a result, over 250 profitable department stores were bankrupted. (1)
Mr, Campeau was forced to sell this house in 1990 although the house was in his wife’s name which protected it from creditors.
Various deals to purchase the property fell through over the next six years. The property was purchased by Harold and Sara Springer in 2002. The Springers spent the next several years restoring the property. They enlisted the help of architect Gordon Ridgely, interior designer Brian Gluckstein, and landscape architect Ronald Holbrook, to restore the property.
The property has been said to have once been the most expensive home in Canada and the most expensive in Toronto.
The home was blessed by Toronto archbishop Cardinal Gerald Emmett Carter. Some of the guests of the home have included Pierre Trudeau and Jane Fonda. The house has been used for movie production including Beau Bridges’ ‘Kissinger and Nixon’, ‘That Old Feeling’ starring Bette Midler, and ‘It Takes Two’ with the Olsen twins, Kirstie Alley and Steve Guttenberg.
Entry to the property is through a set of wrought-iron gates and down a circular driveway with a water fountain in the center of it.
The mansion contains 10 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms (including his and hers). There’s a large indoor pool with a retractable floor that converts into a ballroom, library, tennis court, gourmet kitchen, seven wood burning fireplaces, recording studio, vault room and a wine cellar. There’s also an elevator to get to each of the four floors. It’s also been reported that the tap faucets are solid gold. The garage will hold 40 cars.
The grand living room contains tall doors leading out to the terrace. The placement of clocks and paintings and traditional hand-sculpted carvings in the walls and ceilings, were all part of the effort to design the house as a 17th century France chateau. The Springers looked across the globe for 17th century art to add to the home.
The mansion has seen some well known guests including Jane Fonda and the former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau. Don’t worry about parking as you can fit well over 40 vehicles on the grounds.
The gated property has also been featured in several motion pictures including “It Takes Two”. After the couple’s children grew up and left home, the house was put up on the market in 2015. It was finally purchased in 2020 by a company named Nascond but no updates have taken place on the property.
As of late July 2022 demolition equipment has been brought to the site. This is the only reason I’m disclosing the address. Note: By providing specific details such as notable guests, it’s almost impossible not to reveal the address anyways.
Basement
In one corner of the basement you’ll find a bar constructed with oak. Several hallways will take through a collection of doorways. Behind one door is a wine cellar made up of tubes embedded into cement where the wine bottles would be inserted. One of the allocations is for a “1984 Chardonnay.”
Some rooms are used for storage. A large utility room contains the pool plumbing system and large hydro boxes. Another room contains a large safe inside of it with an alarm panel on the outside of the room.
Tucked away in the basement is a recording studio with a red light outside the door. Inside the studio are sound proofing tiles lining the walls. When you were recording music, you’d turn on the red light so people wouldn’t interrupt you. This studio was used by Robert Campeau’s son for recording music. A listing for the house mentions it has a theater, but I couldn’t find one during my explore.
A large walk-in freezer would most certainly have held steaks and burgers for those large social gatherings.
Bomb Shelter
Down in the basement there’s a bomb shelter with a living room, dormitory and its own power generator.
Main Floor
The kitchen features two sinks, marble countertops, two ovens, microwave and a large stove. A room in back of the kitchen contains a third sink, dish washer and elevator.
At the main entrance are the his and hers washrooms just off to the left. Through the limestone front foyer is a large room with a fireplace and the stairs leading up to the bedrooms. This room looks more like a waiting room as it really has to purpose but to make a decision as to which doorway to take. Should you continue further to the rear of the house, you’ll come to the grand living room with pink walls. There are several sets of doors here that will take you to the garden in the back of the property.
Taking a left from the waiting area will take you to a small corridor. Here you’ll find the library with a fireplace and an elegantly carved mantle. At the end of the corridor is the 50 foot swimming pool. The hallway outside of the pool is painted to look like a French marketplace. In the pool room are a set of spiral stairs that will take you up to the master bedroom. Three sets of doors exit into the back yard.
Upper Level
The master bedroom has its own bathroom with bidet. There’s a large circular stained glass window in the bathroom. The bedroom features a fireplace as well as an adjoining room which looks like it could be for office space. Of course there’s a walk in closet with ceiling to floor mirrors. The square footage of the master bedroom is comparable to that of an apartment rental.
August 6, 2022 Demolition
Real Estate Photos
Videos
Source:
1) https://www.nytimes.com/1990/01/17/opinion/robert-campeau-s-special-genius.html
This location was known as The Drug Dealer’s House. I could find no evidence of drug dealing and the house was pretty much a mess. However the house next door was a little better.
It had a very old stove/oven built into the basement wall, in an inexplicable location. There was a calendar dated 1977 and written in the cement was “Dino Accettone Oct. 22, 1978”.
Dino is still kicking around and operates a funeral home.
We found two model helicopters inside the house, the type that you control with a remote control. You can see a similar helicopter demonstration here.
The Aladdin House as it’s often referred to as, belonged to Max Heiduczek. Max bought the home, located at 110 Maybourne in Scarborough, in 1970. Max traveled the world and inspiration for his home’s design came from his worldly travels. The house features turrets, minarets, columns, and statues.
The house is sometimes referred to as “the castle” and the city’s “weirdest” home.” In September of 2018 as Max’s health was fading, he sold the house to a builder for $760,000 and moved into a retirement home.
The buyer intended to demolish the house and build a new home. It’s now been 4 years and still nothing has materialized. The present owner has applied to subdivide the property into pieces. In August of 2021 conditional consent was given by the city for this severance.
Max passed away later in 2018.
This was a random find along the roads in Adjala-Tosorontio. The main floor had a kitchen, living room and bathroom. The upper floor contained a bedroom and hot tub room with a skylight. There was little of interest to be found inside.
