Jannah Theme License is not validated, Go to the theme options page to validate the license, You need a single license for each domain name.
Canada

A real estate love story ends just like it began — Westmount mansion is on the market

She was there for the sale of the property, but when Sharon Azrieli approached Braemar, a historic Westmount home, “I just stood there and literally, fell in love.” ”.

Article content

As Sharon Azrieli says, she was walking with a friend one day in 2010 when she saw a billboard advertising a property sale in Westmount. She loves real estate sales. And they went up the slope from the main street. A large, elegant villa with a wrap-around her balcony surrounded by two stories of wooden columns came into view.

advertising 2

Article content

“This house doesn’t exist in Montreal,” the vivacious arts philanthropist and singer (she’s been performing opera for a long time and has transitioned to jazz and Broadway music) muses incredibly to herself. I was.

Article content

She was looking at Braemer. Braemer was an 835-square-meter Regency-style house built in 1847 on the slopes of what is now Westmount Hill, then rural and with unobstructed views of the St. Lawrence River and beyond. I was proud. It was truly a page of history.

Braemar was built as the twin of Clareview, which was demolished long ago. A private school, The Study, stands in its place today. The surviving villa serves as “a reminder of the elegance of life back then,” Doreen Lindsay, former president of the Westmount Historical Society, once said in a talk about the property. .

advertising 3

Article content

Braemer’s plans are the work of architect William Footer, who worked with architect George Brown on the design of Old Montreal’s Bonsecours Market, which also opened in 1847. The villa was named by its early owner, Eliza Jane Ross, who was a woman. – Waiting for Queen Victoria. Near the Queen’s beloved Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, there is a village called Braemar.

On that day in 2010, as Azrieli found out, not only the contents of the house were for sale, but also the braemer.

Braemer's plans are the work of architect William Footer, who worked with architect George Brown on the design of Old Montreal's Bonsecours Market.
Braemer’s plans are the work of architect William Footer, who worked with architect George Brown on the design of Old Montreal’s Bonsecours Market. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

Azrieli enters the house and finds a gracefully proportioned living room, or salon, that acts as a door for natural light in a 6 x 7 meter space with a 4 meter high ceiling and three large floor-to-ceiling windows. stood in front of The room feels intimately connected to the outside.

Advertising 4

Article content

“I know I shouldn’t fall in love with things, but I was just standing there and I literally fell in love,” she recalled in an interview. I knew I was in trouble.”

The house required an enormous amount of work, which created serious problems. “The basement was full of water and the roof was full of holes so he had water on the fourth floor as well,” he said. It was a “wrecked haunted house,” she recalled in a 2014 interview.

Azrieli could see the “Grand Lady” beyond the wreckage. …I wanted her to be perfect again.

Sharon Azrieli has put her stamp on Braemar by introducing bold colors.
Sharon Azrieli has put her stamp on Braemar by introducing bold colors. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

She bought Braemar for $1.5 million in early 2011 and spent several years restoring it, which required a lot of money and an almost endless amount of patience. She navigated the challenging permitting process while working with architects, interior her designers, restoration professionals, contractors and contractors. The house was made even more difficult when, at the request of her previous owner, Gerald, it was classified as a historic property by the Quebec Ministry of Culture in 1984. Benjamin. All work was subject to regulations imposed by the Ministry and Westmount.

Advertising 5

Article content

A photo of Braemar just after the new copper roof was installed. Taken from Belvedere Rd. at Westmount.
A photo of Braemar just after the new copper roof was installed. Taken from Belvedere Rd. at Westmount. Photo by Patrick Martin

As Lindsay noted in a 2015 article for the Westmount Historian, the plumbing and electrical infrastructure were replaced, a new copper roof and geothermal heating system were installed, and a large garage was built on the hillside near the house. . A tunnel was dug between the garage and the house to allow wheelchair access without an elevator, 36” wide doorway, high threshold.

But the update didn’t come at the expense of the house’s original charm. She also has her design degree in interiors from the Parsons School of Design. She was closely involved in planning and overseeing the process.

Sharon Azrieli bought Braemar for $1.5 million in early 2011 and spent several years restoring it in a process that required ample funds and near-infinite patience.
Sharon Azrieli bought Braemar for $1.5 million in early 2011 and spent several years restoring it in a process that required ample funds and near-infinite patience. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

The floors throughout the main level have been restored, mostly red pine wood, as well as the large ground floor windows with original glass and folding pocket shutters. Door and window hardware was preserved and reused. The location of the main door, which was moved by the previous owner, has been moved again, and the main staircase, which was also moved, has been relocated to maximize the available space. A space converted into a closet on the main floor has been reopened to improve flow.

Advertising 6

Article content

When the drywall in the basement was removed, Azrieli discovered the original cinderblock-covered windows and opened them. She rediscovered the original basement kitchen and its hearth. All the cooking used to be done there. Numbered, dismantled, cleaned and restored. The 76 exterior wooden pillars surrounding the balconies around the house, which had rotted away, were rebuilt and the balustrades were replaced.

Azrieli stamped Braemer by designing elaborate plaster moldings, restoring the rosettes and panels of the salon and highlighting them in gold, and designing mosaic patterns for the entrance hall and bathroom floors. She introduced bold colors. She used dark turquoise for the library, orange for her dining room, and dark blue for the lacquered lower cabinets in the kitchen. She designed her powder room around a stunning royal blue her crystal basin found at a bathroom supply store in Montreal.

advertising 7

Article content

Braemar's elegantly proportioned salon has a 4-metre-high ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows.
Braemar’s elegantly proportioned salon has a 4-metre-high ceiling and floor-to-ceiling windows. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

Azrieli wants to go smaller, so he decided to bring Braemar to market. She is ready to work on another project. The asking price is $25 million.

Lindsay praised Azrieli for planning and overseeing Braemar’s restoration and preservation.

“She has shown that with love, patience and an understanding of the evolution of historic buildings, one of Westmount’s stunning villas can be developed into the friendly family home it is today,” she said. is writing

sschwartz@postmedia.com

The dining room of Braemar, a historic home on Westmount Boulevard.
The dining room of Braemar, a historic home on Westmount Boulevard. Photo by Dave Sidaway /Montreal Gazette

    advertising 1

comment

Postmedia is committed to maintaining an active yet respectful forum for discussion and encourages all readers to share their opinions on our articles. It may take up to an hour to moderate your comments before they appear on the site. Please keep your comments relevant and respectful. You have enabled email notifications. You will now receive an email when you receive a reply to a comment, when a comment thread you are following is updated, or when someone is following your comment. For more information and details on how to adjust your email preferences, please see our Community Guidelines.

A real estate love story ends just like it began — Westmount mansion is on the market

Source link A real estate love story ends just like it began — Westmount mansion is on the market

Related Articles

Back to top button