If you want to own a heritage home in downtown Toronto, it’s yours for free! The catch… you’ll have to move it.
The historic coach house, built in 1898, is now being used by office staff at Casey House — an AIDS/HIV hospice at 9 Huntley Street near Isabella Street and Jarvis Street.
But the hospice is currently comprised of three old buildings. While the main heritage building called "the grey lady" will remain, and be restored to its original colour, there is no new plans for the coach house.
“We need a significant amount of space to put all our inpatient care on one floor and so hence, we’re not going to be able to keep the building, the coach house,” said Stephanie Karapita, CEO of Casey House.
The coach house will be demolished in September, unless someone wants to pay to move it.
Coun. Kristyn Wong-Tam, a former real estate agent, wants the L-shaped, 1.5 storey red brick home to be saved in some fashion.
“If you can somehow dismantle it and move it and repurpose it, resettle it for modern purpose, it’s yours,” she said.
Wong-Tam said it could cost several hundred thousand dollars to move, other estimates say much more depending on how far.
Take a look at the couch house in CBC's Lorenda Reddekopp’s story above.