4 Birchmount Rd has been abandoned for about a decade. Photo: Chelsey Devito.
By Chelsey Devito
The Scarborough Bluffs mansion that lies at the foot of Birchmount Rd. is finally on the market for $3.8 million, after sitting empty for 10 years.
The abandoned two-storey monster home that overlooks Lake Ontario was placed on the market on May 1 as a court ordered sale, according to listing agent Chris Kelos.
Prior to this, on April 13, an insolvency and debt solutions company, Rosen Goldberg, was appointed receiver of the property by the Superior Court of Ontario.
The previous owners, Christine and Loren Drotos, bought 4 Birchmount Rd. in 2006 and began renovations on their dream home a couple of months later, according to neighbours who were unhappy with the enormous house.
“I would say that it does not look like a house,” said neighbour Lillian Stermac. “Everyone who comes down and looks at it asks if it’s a community centre or a Walmart or something. It does not look like a family friendly home. It looks like a box.”
Inside 4 Birchmoun Rd. Photo: Chelsey Devito
Open House on May 5. Photo: John Smart
Photo: Chelsey Devito
Photo: John Smart
John Smart, a resident of Springbank Ave., attended the first open house in a decade on Saturday.
He said the listing agent refused to go inside and prospective buyers were advised to wear face masks.
“The air was not very good. There was raccoon feces everywhere. Some leaks in the roof had been open for five years with mould and green slime in some rooms and a large big area that’s not in bad shape except for where all the leaks have occurred.” Smart said.
After about two years of construction, the Drotos family abandoned the 5,000-square-foot home and the house was seized in 2009.
“That’s what happens to people who don’t pay their bills,” said neighbour Randy Cooper, who lives adjacent to the home.
It’s not entirely clear why the property has been vacant for so many years, however it wouldn’t be the first time that dealings involving the Drotos family fell through.
Lorchrist Properties, which is owned by the Drotos family, has had several failed business dealings including renovations gone wrong across Toronto and in Kitchener.
Lorchrist Properties was sued in 2007 by 32 owners of Eaton’s Lofts condos in Kitchener for failing to finish their units.
The nine-year lawsuit resulted in compensation to the condo owners of $850,00 paid by the Lorchrist Properties and the City of Kitchener.
After almost a decade, the vacant house at 4 Birchmount now awaits desperate reconstruction, as it has multiple holes in the roof, water damage and an increasing amount of mould.
“To buy this property you’ve got to have a lot of money, and a lot of imagination,” Cooper said.
“I often see animals running through it,” said Stermac. “It smells bad. You can smell it from the outside. We can see serious damage from water . There are windows open. It’s in very bad repair and probably very toxic,” said Stermac.
Mary Wise Redman and Henry Redman circa 1898 in their tent at 4 Birchmount Rd. before they built their home. Photo courtesy Toronto Public Library Archives/Globe and Mail. Photo printed from plate glass negative.
Property has historical significance
The lush 135 X 548 foot property overlooking the Scarborough Bluffs was first enjoyed by Henry Redman in 1898 as a summer home for the Toronto lawyer’s family.
Redman was one of the earliest residents of Birch Cliff and the first solicitor for the Township of Scarborough.
It was Redman who requested in 1908 that the first post office be named “Birch Cliff Post Office”, which led to the naming of the entire neighbourhood.
According to this article in the Globe and Mail, in 1920 the house was worth $1,000 and the land was valued at $850.
The home remained in the Redman family until 1984, at which point Gary Stephenson and Frances Leinster bought the property.
In 2006, it was sold to the Drotos family for $1.5 million.
4 Birchmount Rd. in 2006 shortly after Gary Stephenson and Frances Leinster sold the home to the Drotos. Seen here with Edwin Redman, a descendant of Henry Redman. Photo credit: Deborah Baic/Globe and Mail.Toronto Public Library Archives/Globe and Mail.
Due to zoning issues, the property can only be made into a single home, rather than multiple houses, according to the listing agent.
Very informative.
As to see, in 2006 it was more nice……