This $3 million Toronto home was built in the 1830s but now looks futuristic
Here at blogTO we love a house with a good story and 90 Burndale Ave. has a pretty great one.
The three-bedroom, four-bathroom home is also known as the Joseph Shepard House.
It was built around 1835 by Joseph Shepard, who owned a grist mill and saw mill on the Don River's west branch. He also happened to be friends with William Lyon Mackenzie, former Mayor of Toronto and a leader of the Upper Canada Rebellion.
Fun fact: this Georgian-style house is actually one of the few remaining homes to have a direct link to the 1837 Upper Canada Rebellion.
According to Toronto Public Library, Shepard's sons and wife participated in the rebellion and historians believe that soldiers tried to burn down the house during the 1837 Upper Canada rebellion.
Additionally, it was in this house that Shepard's wife Catherine sheltered Mackenzie and Colonel Anthony Van Egmond after the skirmish at Montgomery's Tavern.
90 Burndale Ave. received heritage status in 1994 and in 2018, the home was restored.
"It's such a crazy unique home. The current owners spent a couple million on restoring and renovating. It's truly amazing," said realtor Jamie Erlick.
From the outside, the cedar house keeps up the traditional appearances of the historic 1800s home.
Inside, parts of the home were also renovated in line with the traditional look and feel of an 1800s home.
For example, in the kitchen, you'll find distressed wood cabinets and modern appliances that look antique.
The wood rafters that still bear the scorch marks of soldiers trying to burn the house down have been preserved in the dining room.
All the original fireplaces are intact and the bedrooms are quaint and cozy.
But then you get to the basement, and it's like stepping through a portal to another dimension.
The home looks completely futuristic, with LED lighting, a spaceship-esque home cinema, and an industrial wine fridge that looks straight out of an automechanic garage.
The home also boasts state-of-the-art home automation technology and a heated driveway — both luxuries you wouldn't find in the rebellion days.
And this jarring change from historic to modern might be why this home still hasn't sold after being on and off the market since 2021.
It was originally listed for just under $4.5 million and stayed on the market for almost a year without selling.
It was then rented out at a whopping $8,000 a month for the last few years, and now it's back on the market.
It came back on the market in April for $3,688,800 but it's since been relisted for $3,288,888.
But that still might be too high of an asking price, especially since it's been on the market for nearly a month without selling.
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