H6 HOMEOFTHEWEEK O THEGLOBEANDMAIL | FRIDAY,MARCH6,2020
THE BACKSTORY
Twelve years ago, Kelly and Jason
Trainor had two young daugh-
ters and a baby on the way when
they purchased a grand three-
storey home in Toronto’s South
Hill neighbourhood.
Ms. Trainor was attracted by
the curb appeal of the three-
storey, red-brick house and its
adjacent coach house.
The five-bedroom home sits
on a slight rise on Balmoral Ave-
nue, which runs along the top of
the escarpment just south of St.
Clair Avenue West.
“It has an extraordinary street
presence,” says real estate agent
Boris Kholodov of Royal LePage
Real Estate Services Ltd., John-
ston and Daniel Division.
Once they took possession,
the Trainors were curious about
the history of the house. Ms. Trai-
nor visited the archives and
found that it was built in 1904 for
William Davies, who had built a
commanding presence in the
meat-packing business.
Davies was an English grocer
who emigrated to Canada and set
up a stall in St. Lawrence Market.
In 1861, he erected a major build-
ing for smoking and curing
meats, which helped establish
Toronto’s reputation as Hog-
town.
“He had eight kids here,” Ms.
Trainor says.
Inside, the house had retained
its leaded glass windows and
other original details, but the in-
terior had become a bit tired over
the decades, Ms. Trainor says.
The fluorescent lighting was jar-
ring in an Edwardian-era home
and the hardwood floor through-
out most of the main floor was
worn down.
“It needed some love,” Ms.
Trainor says.
The couple undertook a reno-
vation that would preserve much
of the original character while
adding comfort and modern fix-
tures. The plaster was torn down
and floors were ripped up.
“We took it down to the brick,”
she says.
Outside, previous owners had
divided the two-storey coach
house so that half belongs to the
Trainors and half is owned by the
neighbours.
The historic red brick stable,
which likely housed horses and
carriages, still has a hook on the
facade for drawing bales of hay
up through the window to the
loft.
THE HOUSE TODAYMs. Trainor says the contractors
were working hard to finish the
project before the baby arrived,
but they didn’t quite make it. The
Trainors moved into the newly
renovated, 4,122-square-foot
house three weeks after their son
Joey was born.
On the main floor, they kept
the centre hall plan, but rejigged
some of the rooms. Today, guests
arrive to a foyer with a heated
stone floor.
There’s a living room on oneside and a library on the other.
Ms. Trainor says she believes
the rich wood panelling in the li-
brary was likely installed for Da-
vies when the house was built.
Two sets of French doors lead to
an outdoor terrace.
The Trainors preserved the
original formal staircase with
wood railings and banister, but
they removed a second staircase
that was likely used by servants.
Today, that space is taken up
by a wine cellar and tasting room
next to the dining room.
“That was a better use of spacefor us,” Ms. Trainor says.
Throughout most of the main
floor, the old flooring was re-
placed with new wood laid in a
herringbone pattern.
A side sun room was likely
added sometime in the 1970s or
so, Mr. Kholodov says. Similarly,
the area that houses the kitchen
was likely an addition on the rear
of the house in the 20th century.
Today, the kitchen has wood
cabinets painted blue and a
breakfast area with French doors
leading to the backyard.
On the second floor, four bed-rooms provide space for kids and
guests. There’s also a laundry
room.
At the front of the house, 15-
year-old Tralee and 13-year-old
Teagan each have a bedroom
with a shared bathroom in be-
tween. Eleven-year-old Joey has a
bedroom with a separate bath.
Outside, the house has a back-
yard with mature trees and
enough space for the Trainors’
large trampoline.
Ms. Trainor says the South Hill
neighbourhood is very family
friendly, with good schools near-
by. The Toronto Transit Commis-
sion subway, streetcar line and
buses all pass through the area.
The shops and restaurants of
Summerhill and Yonge Street are
a short stroll away and the Trai-
nors often take their dog Lucky
to nearby Sir Winston Churchill
Park and the Nordheimer Ra-
vine.
“We love the neighbourhood.
There are lots of families. It’s a
really great community,” Ms.
Trainor says. “Now that the kids
are older, they can go to the sub-
way on their own.”THE BEST FEATUREThe third-floor master suite is a
quiet sanctuary, Ms. Trainor says.
The cathedral ceiling brings
height to the bedroom and
there’s a view of the CN Tower
from the bedroom window.
There’s a walk-in closet and
dressing room.
The ensuite bathroom has
heated floors, a soaker tub, a
walk-in shower and his-and-hers
vanity.Thefive-bedroomhouseat178BalmoralAve.inToronto‘hasanextraordinarystreetpresence,’accordingtorealestateagentBorisKholodov.PHOTOSBYEMREISCEN
Ahousewithmeatyhistory
ThisgrandTorontohomewasbuiltin1904formeat-packingmagnateWilliamDavies
CAROLYNIRELANDTORONTO
178BalmoralAve.
TORONTO
AskingPrice:$4,795,000
Taxes:$16,472.75(2019)
LotSize:57½-by135¾feet,
irregular,taperingto81½feetat
rear
Agent:BorisKholodov(Royal
LePageRealEstateServicesLtd.,
JohnstonandDanielDivision)
ThecouplewhoboughttheBalmoralhouse12yearsagoundertookarenovationthatpreservedmuchoftheoriginalcharacterwhileaddingmodern
fixtures.Forinstance,theoldflooringwasreplacedwithnewwoodlaidinaherringbonepattern,andthefoyerhasaheatedstonefloor.