Toronto’s laneways are better known for the having stellar graffiti murals than prime real estate. That all changed when developer Joe Brennan purchased 7 Sherwood Lane – a former back-alley dry cleaning warehouse at Yonge and Eglinton – and converted it into this urban villa. It later became the low-key residence of Canadian billionaire and broadcasting mogul Allan Slaight until he put it on the market for $3,200,000 in 2009. It’s currently owned by publishing big-wig Greg MacNeil, and is listed with Jimmy Malloy for $4,895,000 $4,395,000.
The Details
There’s zero curb appeal. The ghost logo of the former dry cleaner that occupied the space is even still on the wall, but thats the kind of cool factor that someone like Allan Slaight probably loved. Past the black lacquered door however is a grand limestone foyer, lit by multiple skylights. There’s no industrial chic inside like I would have guessed, instead it looks like an Italian villa – elaborate mouldings, columns, and views to gardens outside every window. The master bedroom upstairs even walks out to a patio with a gazebo on the second floor. It feels more like Tuscany than a Toronto laneway.
