The listing: 514 St. Clair Ave. E
Asking price: $8.8-million
Taxes: $63,971.80 (2015)
Lot size: 273 by 135 feet
Agent: Leeanne Weld Kostopoulos, Royal LePage Real Estate Services Ltd., Johnston and Daniel Division
The Back Story
Amid all of the aggressive deal making on Bay Street in the 1980s, one investment banker was known as the Piranha. James Connacher, chief executive officer of Gordon Capital, achieved legendary status on the Street for his willingness to take risks and defy tradition.
As the maverick securities firm ascended in power and influence, Connacher acquired almost one acre of land on the edge of a Toronto ravine. It must have come as no surprise to his Bay Street cronies when he demolished the standing house to make way for a contemporary dwelling that resembled none of the surrounding homes in the staid enclave of Moore Park.
Mr. Connacher and his wife Mary brought in Toronto-based architect Jim Strasman.
The founding principal of Strasman Architects Inc. had spent 11 years at renowned Arthur Erickson Architects after graduating from the University of British Columbia. After Mr. Strasman ventured off to start his own practice, his first project – a residence on the shore of Stoney Lake in Ontario – was awarded a 1983 Governor General’s Medal in Architecture.
Mr. Strasman was handed “an absolutely clean slate” by the Connachers. He recalls visiting the site and walking around the parcels of land that Mr. Connacher had assembled. The architect envisioned a house that would allow residents to feel almost like they were living inside the ravine. From the street, the building would remain hidden in the landscape.
“When you have that spectacular ravine, you do want to take advantage,” he says. “You want to give some sense of life being in the ravine, not at a distance to it.”
His plan was unusual in that the principal rooms for the family – including the kitchen and dining room – are located on the second floor. The first floor is devoted to entertaining. But Mr. Connacher didn’t hesitate to embrace the unconventional, Mr. Strasman says. Rooms with curved walls of glass are cantilevered dramatically over the ravine while the interior spaces overlook a light-filled atrium.
“It takes a unique individual to live in a house like that.”
Mr. Strasman has built several custom houses through the years but he has also led many large-scale projects, including the Ottawa headquarters of the Bank of Canada, the Yorkdale transit station, a YMCA in Barrie, Ont. and student residences for Ryerson University and Sheridan College.
Mr. Strasman went on to design another residence for the Connachers in Stowe, Vt. He walked with the clients up through the meadow and Mr. Connacher pointed out a building site.
“I heard this rush of water and I wandered over and said, ‘I think the house should be here.’ ”
He designed a building that spans the creek tumbling through the land. The bridge connecting the two wings, he explains, is a modern interpretation of a Vermont covered bridge.
“Sites speak volumes,” he says.
The House Today
Guests arrive to a set of double wooden exterior doors crafted by the late Stephen Harris. His Toronto studio was well-known for fine woodworking.
Inside, the atrium soars to double height and gives guests a dramatic view through to the ravine as soon as they enter.
A double-sided fireplace warms the atrium on one side and a private study with views into the forest on the other.
A media room is separated from the main entertaining space so that the younger crowd has a place to hang out.
From the living area, circular stairs rise to the upper level.
Upstairs, the open kitchen was designed to give the chef and family members access to the light from the glass atrium and its large skylight. A curvilinear wall of windows overlooks the landscaping. Built-in stainless steel appliances, oak cabinets and a large island follow the sinuous lines of the building.
The kitchen is open to a family room and a dining room with doors leading to an outdoor terrace.
The master bedroom has a barrel-vaulted ceiling and wall-to-wall windows at treetop level. A five-piece ensuite bathroom includes a large soaker tub and his-and-hers vanities.
Three other bedrooms on that level have windows looking into the ravine.
Throughout the house, Mr. Strasman kept a simple palette of light oak, stainless steel and polished and honed granite. The house has fine natural materials, he says, deliberately chosen to avoid ostentation.
“The materials are all pretty simple and straight forward,” he says. “It’s a fundamental house and executed in a way true to the materials we used, with not a lot of fussy detail.”
Outside, landscape architect Walter Kehm created berms which rise to the second story on the aspect facing the street so that the house is anchored to the landscape. Over the years, the table land has been planted with grasses and natural gardens.
The circular driveway and built-in four-car garage provide parking for up to 14 cars.
The property, which will arrive on the Canadian Real Estate Association’s multiple listing service this month, includes a lot which a new owner can potentially sever, says real estate agent Leeanne Weld.
The Best Feature
Mr. Strasman says the atrium, with floor-to-ceiling glass providing vistas into the ravine, was designed for the many soirées and charity benefits held by the Connachers. Two fireplaces warm the room, while doors lead to an outdoor terrace.
The tops of the benjamina ficus trees reach almost to the upper level and fill the centre of the atrium with a green canopy. They stand surrounded by a granite podium, which has frequently been turned into a dance floor.
There’s plenty of room for guests to circulate at a large cocktail gathering or the space can accommodate tables and chairs for a formal dinner. The more intimate family spaces above are open to the light and air that fills the space.