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Home of the Week: Luxurious size in the heart of Toronto
Home of the week

This Annex Victorian offers the space of a suburban property, but within walking distance of downtown amenities

Home of the Week: 336 Palmerston Blvd.

Madeleine White
Contributed to The Globe and Mail

This article was published more than 7 years ago. Some information may no longer be current.

THE LISTING 336 Palmerston Blvd.

ASKING PRICE $3,350,000

TAXES $14,729.50 (2016)

LOT SIZE 35 by 127 feet

AGENTS Paul Maranger, Christian Vermast, Fran Bennett, Trilogy Agents, Sotheby's International Realty Canada, Brokerage

While many nearby homes still sport their Victorian façades. this one also contains many of its original oak features. A long showering area and a whirlpool tub in the master suite bathroom are among the home’s newer elements.

When you enter Sandra Leggiero's home in the winter, you'll notice a quiet buzz just as you step into the foyer. The soft sound is emanating from a humidifier sitting in a stately living room with its three bay windows and old cast-iron fireplace.

The added moist air is circulating to help protect the grand piano that easily fits in the space. Ms. Leggiero's daughter plays over an hour every day.

"How many houses can fit a grand piano?" broker Paul Maranger asked.

"Every room in the house is big and old," Ms. Leggiero added.

The back story

A bedroom inside 336 Palmerston Boulevard.

Ms. Leggiero bought 336 Palmerston Blvd. in 2007 after a three-year search for a Toronto homestead following her family's move from London.

"We ended up buying a cottage first," she said. "I had a real estate agent who gave up on me."

The problem was she wanted a big home, and was finding houses she liked in North York in terms of size but not location. She was also looking in the Annex – which was more walkable than the outer regions of Toronto – but it was out of her price zone.

As she was starting to lose hope, a friend noticed 336 Palmerston for sale and encouraged her to check it out. After her first tour of the home, she knew it had the grandeur, character and location she had been looking for.

"You feel like you're in a residential area here but you're not," Ms. Leggiero said. "And that was perfect for me 'cause I don't like suburban areas because I walk everywhere."

This feeling – of being in a suburb in the city – was actually by design. Palmerston Boulevard is a short stretch that runs between College Street and Bloor Street. North and south of that, it's called Palmerston Avenue. And it's not just a name change. The whole feel of the street is different.

"The houses on this part of Palmerston are very stately," Mr. Maranger said. "The street is wide and the houses are grand."

That's because this swath of Palmerston was originally part of the Seaton Square subdivision, created in the mid-1800s and at a time when it was outside the boundaries of Toronto proper. But unlike the surrounding streets, Palmerston Boulevard wasn't developed until the turn of the 20th century. The stone gates at College and Bloor, as well as the cast-iron globe lamp posts (meant for pedestrians, not cars), are relics of the original design.

The house today

A contemporary kitchen is one of the newer elements of this Victorian home.

Many of the old homes still sport their Victorian façades. Ms. Leggiero's house also contains many of its original features, most notably the first-floor wainscoting, door trim and staircase – all made of oak.

But it has some new features, having undergone a renovation by a previous owner that changed the layout and added space off the back.

The main floor features the living room, which is connected by a set of French doors to the dining room. There is also an office in the hall outside the dining room, plus a powder room and foyer closet. The kitchen is in an addition off the back, just behind the dining room (the two are connected by a doorway). It features a six-burner gas cooktop (with a griddle), as well as double wall ovens and a granite-countertop island with a baking/breakfast table off the end. There is also a family room and a mudroom on the back end of the main floor, leading out to the backyard and three-car parking area.

Among the second and third floors there are six bedrooms, three full bathrooms, a laundry room and a second office. The master suite occupies the back half of the second floor and features a bathroom with a long showering area and a whirlpool tub.

"What's surprising about this house is that you get a walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom, which you don't usually get with homes of this vintage," Mr. Maranger said.

The only part of the home that is unfinished in the basement.

"At some point, I thought about making it an apartment because it has a separate entrance, but I decided not to," Ms. Leggiero said.

Favourite features

In addition to the size, one of the most distinctive features of the home is its set of covered gallery porches on the front, overlooking Palmerston Boulevard.

One of the most distinctive features of the home is its set of covered gallery porches on the front, overlooking Palmerston Boulevard. The second-storey porch is accessed through the upstairs office and is one of Ms. Leggiero’s beloved spots.

"This is my favourite spot," she said. "It's where we come out for wine and cigars; even in the winter, to tell you the truth."

She says she likes to sit out on it and look out on the street.

"The trees make a canopy in the summer and with the lanterns, it's very pretty," she said.

As she prepares to downsize into a condo, the thing she is going to miss the most is the space. The house comprises 4,225 square feet of finished space plus 1,155 square feet in the basement.

"Everything in this house is big: the bedrooms, closets and even the washrooms," she said. "It's very comfortable."