227 Markham St

You notice 227 Markham Street before you know anything about her. Even from the sidewalk, she is a bit of a showstopper. A fine Victorian lady with an unusually ornate, almost Romanesque façade. Striking red brick, dramatic arched windows, intricate masonry and a sculptural roofline give the house a presence all her own.

And while the façade tells the story of another era, behind it is a home that has been quietly and thoughtfully brought into the present.

At an extra-wide 19.25 feet, she has proportions that immediately set her apart. Inside, the home’s east-west orientation makes natural light part of the experience of living here, while strategically placed second-floor skylights invite even more sunshine in, flooding the house with glorious natural light throughout the day.

The main floor is warm and wonderfully social, with open-concept living and dining kissed by exposed brick and anchored by a cozy gas fireplace — a character-rich backdrop for everyday life and evenings spent entertaining. Beyond, the kitchen feels like the natural heart of the home, flowing seamlessly to the backyard and making the entire floor as easy to host in as it is to live in.

Upstairs, that extra width reveals itself again. The bright and airy second floor offers three great sized bedrooms, a soundproofed party wall and a genuinely family-friendly layout. Better still, two bedrooms are generous enough to claim the title of primary (you choose!) leaving the other to become an enviable child’s room, guest retreat or workspace.

Downstairs, the fully underpinned, waterproofed and finished lower level adds yet another layer of flexibility and entertaining space, including a rear bedroom with a custom Murphy bed that effortlessly shifts from home office by day to comfortable guest quarters when friends or family stay over.

Out back, an utterly charming, fully fenced grassy yard feels private and wonderfully usable, with a large deck made for the good stuff: morning coffee in the sun, long summer lunches, dinners with friends and evenings that stretch later than planned. Beyond it sits the 1.5 car garage, newly built in 2016, with the property offering potential for a laneway house of up to approximately 1,246 square feet over two storeys — an increasingly rare and exciting Toronto opportunity.

All told, this is a house with history without the headaches you might expect to come with it. And that may be the secret to 227. For all her Victorian drama, she is remarkably easy to live with. The beautiful things have been preserved. The unglamorous things have been dealt with. The expensive work has been done. And yet, none of that polish has scrubbed away what made her special in the first place. She still has heart. She still has soul. You see it in the old brick and soaring ceilings. You feel it when the afternoon sun catches the stained glass. And you notice it every time you walk toward the front door and see “227” suspended above you in glass, exactly where it (and you) belonged all these years.