New owners of Toronto's beloved 'Leslieville dollhouse' give back
A large crowd of people hoping to collect a piece of Toronto history gathered outside the “Leslieville dollhouse” Sunday, as the new owners of the beloved east-end home gave away the dolls, toys, knick-knacks, and teddy bears that covered the property.
“We wanted to give people an opportunity to come out and have one last look at it, take a piece home, and go from there,” Bradley Sutherland, who purchased the property with his partner last month, told CP24.
For the last 20 years, anyone who’s walked by the home near Queen Street and Jones Avenue would be hard-pressed to miss the uniquely decorated residence.
The previous owner, Shirley Sumaisar, lived on Bertmount Avenue for more than five decades and began placing her growing collection of trinkets on her front porch and lawn. However, in an interview with CTV News Toronto, Sumaisar’s son, Tom, explained that recently, the family decided the time had come to sell his mother’s home to spend more quality time with her.
“This is my mom’s life … She’s very upset that she’s going to leave, but it’s for her health and to be safer and closer to family,” he said. “It is a sad time for us. My mom loves her house. She wishes she could stay here, but it’s just too big to maintain.”
The property hit the market in July for $999,000 and sold for $99,000 under asking the next month.
Sutherland and his partner have said they plan to renovate the semi-detached, three-bedroom home but needed to part ways with the characteristic ornaments first.
To do that, the new homeowners organized Sunday’s giveaway as a charitable event in collaboration with MLSE’s Change the Game campaign. In exchange for a tchotchke, guests were asked to make a cash or online donation to the campaign.
“It’s a great organization that helps youth in the city, and this home has brought so much joy to youth in the city, so we thought it would be a great alignment to give back,” Sutherland said.
With files from Joanna Lavoie
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Chinese-Russian air co-operation has Norad's 'full attention'
The head of the North American Aerospace Defence Command says Chinese and Russian air co-operation in the Arctic has Norad's 'full attention.'
Father and daughter found dead in northwest Calgary
Calgary police are investigating the death of a father and daughter on Sunday night as a double homicide and believe it's the result of a domestic incident.
opinion Tom Mulcair: Grading Trudeau's performance in 2024, and what's ahead for him in the new year
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is about to enter the final year of his mandate and, quite possibly, of his political career, writes Tom Mulcair in his column for CTVNews.ca. The former NDP leader takes a snapshot of Trudeau's leadership balance sheet as a way of understanding how he got to where he is in the polls.
Passengers describe travel nightmare after WestJet flight from Costa Rica cancelled
It was a travel nightmare that left more than 100 passengers, including Ottawa residents, stranded in Costa Rica this week.
'We're snake-bitten': Unconvincing Canada gets past Germany 3-0 at world juniors
Coming off a stunning, embarrassing loss to Latvia some 48 hours earlier at the world junior hockey championship, Canada picked up an unconvincing 3-0 victory over Germany on Sunday.
Quebec needs people to run for local office. The problem is they keep resigning
Municipal leaders across Quebec are looking for ways to get young people, especially women, to run for local office in next year's elections, but that is a tall order given the well-documented incidents of harassment and intimidation faced by elected officials in the province.
Gal Gadot reveals she underwent emergency surgery for brain clot just after welcoming her 4th child
Gal Gadot is opening up about how she survived a "massive blood clot" in her brain during her most recent pregnancy.
Housing market poised for 2025 comeback as lower rates unleash pent-up demand
Heading into 2025, economists and real estate agents believe activity is poised to remain strong amid much lower borrowing costs and more favourable rules for buyers, despite an overall challenging affordability picture.
Sidney Crosby breaks Mario Lemieux's franchise record for assists
Sidney Crosby broke Mario Lemieux's franchise record for most assists in team history during a 3-2 win against the New York Islanders on Sunday.