The house of Frightenstein
Hollywood-glam-styled residence owned by a star of beloved TV series
THORNHILL
Location: 98 Proctor Ave., Bayview and Steeles Aves.
Asking price: $2,688,000 Size: over 6,000 sq. ft., including finished lower level
Lot: 87-by-130 feet, three-car built-in garage, private drive Taxes: $9,74x4 (2018) Bedrooms: 5 plus 2 Bathrooms: 5 Styled with a Hollywood-glamour esthetic, his Thornhill estate was a true “find,” TV producer and actor Mitch Markowitz says.
Now for sale, the two-level detached residence features 6,000 square feet of above-grade, luxury living space. The home sits on a premium lot beside just one neighbour, and with a ravine at its back and at its side.
“Our first visit to this house, perched up on a bit of a hill, steps to Bayview Avenue, was all we needed to know it was for us,” says Markowitz, who starred in the renowned but short-lived kids’ series The Hilarious House of Frightenstein, alongside Vincent Price and Billy Van.
“The three-car garage with a nine-car driveway was large enough to accommodate my car collection. Other features that caught our attention were the stunning spiral staircase and the wood panelled office. After buying the home, we widened the arch into the living/ dining room, replacing the orig- in al floors with herring-bone-patterned hardwood.
“Our favourite place in the home is the family room, with a huge window that overlooks acres of conservation land and the Don River,” Markowitz says.
Close to parks and schools, the house is also near shops and restaurants on Yonge St. and has easy access to major highways.
“The home is located in one of the most exclusive enclaves in Thornhill — the Great Estates of Steele Valley Community, in the East Don River Ravine,” listing agent Ivana Spasic Djordjevic says. “It has been renovated with chic Hollywood glamour accents and is an entertainer’s dream with a fully finished lower level with a 12seater sauna room and an entertainment room with a fireplace and above-grade windows.”
With an exterior resembling a colonial-style estate, this impressive brick home features two-storey decorative entry columns, a covered porch, lots of windows and a large interlocking brick drive and walkway. The foyer has a marble tile floor, pot lights, a double closet, wainscotting and a spiral staircase.
Features of the sunken living room include pot lights, crown moulding, a hardwood floor and three large windows. The open-concept dining room has a double french door to the kitchen, a crystal chandelier, a triple-french door walkout to the back deck and a sliding glass door walkout to the side deck, which also overlooks the ravine.
Sophisticated and spacious, the kitchen showcases a large centre island with a built-in wine rack, granite counters, pot lights, a crystal chandelier, a pantry, built-in stainless steel appliances, glass tile backsplash, a marble tile floor, a sliding glass door walkout and a breakfast area.
Highlights of the large family room include a hardwood floor, pot lights, a wood-burning fireplace with black back glass surround, built-in bookshelves, a wall covered in grasscloth wallpaper, wainscotting and a large bay window.
The office has wood-panelled walls and built-in bookshelves. A powder room completes this floor.
On the second floor, the mas- ter bedroom contains a hardwood floor, two picture windows, crown moulding, two closets, a sitting area with a wood-burning fireplace with a marble surround and a sliding door walkout to a private balcony. The seven-piece master bedroom granite ensuite includes an extra-large soaker tub and twin vanity sinks.
One of the secondary bedrooms has a three-piece ensuite, another has a walkout to a balcony. All four secondary bedrooms have hardwood floors and large picture windows. There is a five-piece main bathroom.
The above-grade lower level features a large recreation room with a wood-burning fireplace, a sliding glass door walk- out to a large covered back patio, large above-grade windows, a wet bar and an office with a sliding glass door walkout. There is also a kitchen, a guest bedroom, a huge sauna room, a change room and a three-piece bathroom.
To have a look at this property, contact listing agent Ivana Spasic Djordjevic, Royal LePage Your Community Realty, Brokerage, 905-889-9330; ivanaspasic.com.
Home of the Week is written by freelance contributor Allison Harness, a Toronto-based real estate writer. Although we try to provide the most up-to-date information available, we cannot guarantee features as listed. Please contact the realtor. To make a submission to Home of the Week, email soldhome@rogers.com.