Scott Radley: ‘Not just an everyday house’: Ancaster mansion on sale for $49 million
If you've ever driven along Garner Road near Fiddler's Green Road, you've probably noticed the gigantic house many locals simply call the Ancaster Mansion.
Now it can be yours.
For a mere $49 million, you can call the 30,000-square-foot house and 85 acres surrounding it, home.
It's so unique," says agent Gabriel Riverso. I don't think there's another house in Canada (like it)."
Probably not.
Built in 1995 by developer Frank Silvestri as his family residence - he's still the owner - the home at 140 Garner Rd. E. has been compared to the Titanic. Minus the iceberg. Everything is custom made and done on a majestic and opulent scale.
The long driveway leads through a sprawling manicured estate to a massive, covered entrance. But it's once you walk through the door that your eyes really begin to bulge.
When you go in, it is, Wow,'" Riverso says.
The atrium is immense with Italian marble floors, a 35-foot ceiling and a pair of wide curved staircases leading you to the second level. Most hotels could only wish for such a jaw-dropping first impression.
Twenty five years ago when the home was in the final stages of construction, Silvestri told The Spectator that upstairs had 11 bedrooms, including a 1,500-square-foot master. There were also 11 bathrooms throughout the home.
The cost back then? An unheard-of $2 million. On realtor.ca today, there are dozens of listings in Hamilton starting at that mark, showing just how much things have changed in a quarter century. Still, even in a real estate market as overheated as this area's, $49 million is still $49 million.
You don't sell a house like that, like a home I just had in Ancaster, with multiple offers," Riverso says. It's just not an everyday house."
That is the understatement of the year.
But let's continue with the tour.
After the lobby, Riverso says his favourite room is the banquet hall. If you've ever seen photos of a state dinner at the White House you'll have a pretty good idea what this looks like. Eighty feet long by 40 feet wide with 18-foot ceilings, seven huge windows looking out on the back of the property and a large mahogany bar, it's hosted a sit-down reception for 120 people.
It's the size of a home," Riverso says.
The dining room is equally enormous and spectacular. As is, frankly, every other room in the place. The vast kitchen, the spacious living room, the large TV room, the amazing hallways and on and on.
Oh, and there's a 14-car garage.
Add it all up and it's the size of 15 or more typical homes.
Five years ago, the property was put up for sale for $78 million. Lest you think its value has plummeted - it hasn't - what's being offered now is the home and half the property that was for sale back then. Only 85 of the original 171 acres are now on the market.
Riverso says as fantastic as the home is, this will likely be seen as a land deal with an opportunity to develop it. It's currently zoned as prestige industrial, which would allow it to be developed for things related to a hotel or conference centre, something involving research, office space, warehouses or other uses.
However, there's a belief it could eventually be rezoned for residential use. That could make it very enticing for some developers.
On a personal note, Riverso says the first time he ever saw the place was in Hamilton Magazine years ago. He was amazed. It was so unique and so remarkable.
I said, One day, I am going to list this house,'" he says. And look what happened."
Scott Radley is a Hamilton-based columnist at The Spectator. Reach him via email: sradley@thespec.com