Great Canadian Mansions!

flar · #1 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 4:58 PM**

Post photos of impressive mansions. The houses should have some interesting feature(s), they could be very large, very ornate, very classy, historically significant, et cetera. It's not necessary to have all of these qualities, just as long as the house is impressive.

Let's limit our posts to five (5) photos or less, or a group of clickable thumbnails about the size of a regular photo.

flar · #2 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 5:02 PM**

Dundurn Castle (1832)
This 72 room, 18,000 sqare foot regency villa was built for Sir Allan Napier MacNab. MacNab was a successful businessman,
lawyer, politician and war hero who played an important role in pre-Confederation Canadian history. Today, Dundurn Castle
is a National Historic Site and is open to the public for tours.

(Click to enlarge the small pictures)

Jimby · #3 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 5:39 PM**

in Calgary's Mount Royal district

Today's Calgary Herald says the most valuable home in the city is owned by Alfred Baum in the Pumphill district and has 91 rooms, 14 bathrooms, and a concert hall. It is assessed at $22.9 million. The house is right beside the street but really hard to photograph as it sprawls over 5 levels down the hill from the street.
The second most valuable house is in Mount Royal owned by Riaz and Zainool Mamdani. Originally built by Titanic survivors in 1912, it is assessed at $11.6 million. Don't know which house this is. Maybe the one in my photo?
A lot of the really big mansions are outside of the city hidden down long driveways, invisible to the public.

Greco Roman · #4 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 6:07 PM**

Don't have any pics, but Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, BC comes to mind. Beautiful building!

flar · #5 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 6:13 PM**

^^I hope someone has a photo of it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jimby

A lot of the really big mansions are outside of the city hidden down long driveways, invisible to the public.

Unfortunately true, I think this is where billionaire Michael Lee-Chin lives, on the escarpment just above Dundas near Crooks Hollow.

MolsonExport · #6 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 6:48 PM**

source: pagetutor.com

flar · #7 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 6:49 PM**

^^I guess that qualifies as having historical significance

mylesmalley · #8 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 7:36 PM**

Good lord. That first house has it's own catacombs?!

1ajs · #9 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 7:49 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by mylesmalley

Good lord. That first house has it's own catacombs?!

more like a dirty wine celler

flar · #10 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 7:54 PM**

Actually Dundurn Castle is well known for its underground tunnels. Another house stood on the site before the current house was built and battlements and earthworks were constructed during the War of 1812. The current house stands on the foundation of the old house. The picture shows a blocked off tunnel used to store firewood. There is another tunnel visible on the tours that leads to a deep pit where ice was stored. A huge block of ice would be cut from Hamilton Harbour and put into the pit where it would last for the whole year.

SteelTown · #11 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 8:59 PM**

Those tunnels where used during War of 1812, British soliders would hide under the tunnels and pop up to battle. Think there was a tunnel from Dundurn Castle area to the Burlington Heights.

touraccuracy · #12 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 11:07 PM**

damn, how i wish vancouver had that kind of cool history

the natives weren't so keen on leaving permanent structures.

SpongeG · #13 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 11:15 PM**

Craigdarroch castle (from flickR)

source

flickr

SpongeG · #14 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 11:19 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by touraccuracy

damn, how i wish vancouver had that kind of cool history

the natives weren't so keen on leaving permanent structures.

that house on marine drive has tunnels apparently - down to the beach

flickr

1920 SW Marine Drive, Vancouver, BC.

Quote:

This property is presently worth $12,000,000

George C. Reifel, the oldest child of Henry and Annie, participated in family businesses and owned a 500-acre farm on Westham Island at the mouth of the Fraser River Estuary. He was a vice-president of Alberta Distilleries, a company formed in 1946 with the oil and natural gas tycoon Frank M. McMahon as president. George C., an avid sportsman, dyked Reifel Island in the Fraser River Estuary in 1927. In 1929 he build a mansion called "Casa Mia" on Southwest Marine Drive in Vancouver. In the 1940's and 1950's the Reifel family made regular fishing trips between Vancouver and Rivers Inlet on their yachts, "Invader" and "Casa Mia." George C. Reifel died in Vancouver on July 20, 1958. His wife, Alma Lucy, died January 25, 1982, also in Vancouver.

- info from Flickr

Dmajackson · #15 Posted: **Jan 12, 2009, 11:39 PM**

The Halifax area has a few. Notable ones are the Oland Castle (pictured below), and the Fountain family's house on Younge Avenue, a couple on the Arm and I forget his name but a gold mine owner's mansions on Shore Drive. He owns two waterfront properties (his house and a guest/boat house) and an island in the Basin.

Here's the Oland Castle though (photo taken by me);

flar · #16 Posted: **Jan 13, 2009, 1:57 AM**

The Victoria and Halifax houses are impressive. Both are Romanesque in style, the rusticated stone was favoured by wealthy people because less wealthy people could not afford to copy it like they could with other styles.

This house was built in 1895 by the family that owned the Tuckett Tobacco Company. It is now the headquarters of the Scottish Rite of Freemasonry in Canada, who added a Cathedral to west side of the house (part of it can be seen in the background).

Here is another house in Hamilton, Ravenscliffe, built of rusticated stone, but not Romanesque in style:

someone123 · #17 Posted: **Jan 13, 2009, 3:12 AM**

Here's a nice one on Young Avenue in Halifax, which is several blocks of large houses (the Oland house is farther down):

Government House is probably the oldest official residence in Canada, cornerstone laid in 1799:

Admiralty House is another interesting one, built around 1812 or so for the admiral of the British fleet when Halifax was one of the main naval bases in the Empire (by ewan.osullivan on Flickr):

Source

I've always liked Keith Hall (in rough shape, sadly) and Wier House:

There are hundreds of large old houses around the city and maybe a few dozen that are true "mansions". Unfortunately, they are kind of hard to photograph systematically since they are very spread out. Many have also been demolished over the years.

aastra · #18 Posted: **Jan 13, 2009, 3:16 AM**

Hatley Castle (built by the son of the folks who built Craigdarroch Castle):

picture from http://michaelallison.ca

picture from http://realestate.halogenguides.com

Dmajackson · #19 Posted: **Jan 13, 2009, 3:27 AM**

I found the one I was looking for

The Fountain's Mansion on Younge Ave;

Source: "karbon69" on flickr

Might not be a mansion but my town's oldest is Scott Manor House circa 1776

Source: "lawr8223" on flickr

amor de cosmos · #20 Posted: **Jan 13, 2009, 3:34 AM**

When Avery Adams (aka Geri Hall) punked Stephen Harper on This Hour & asked him what he was going to do for single girls he should have said he knows of a super posh, 12000sqft private love nest, and she & all her friends are cordially invited:

http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/bins...-104150&lang=1