House of the Week: $1.8 million for a Victorian home across from the Thompson Hotel

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