Birthplace of Roy Thomson goes on the market

TORONTO — The birthplace of Canadian business icon Roy Thomson is up for sale.

Built in 1883, the Victorian townhouse at 32 Monteith St. is listed by Sotheby’s International Realty at $1.149 million.

According to a Toronto Historical Board plaque affixed to the front of the home in 1986, Thomson was born there on June 5, 1894 to Herbert Thomson (a barber at the Grosvenor Hotel) and Alice Coombs.

He went on to build a media empire and was made Baron Thomson of Fleet, a title that cost him his Canadian citizenship.

“At the time of his elevation to the Peerage in 1964, he owned over 100 newspapers, including the Times of London, numerous other publications, and more than two dozen radio and television stations,” the plaque reads.

“In 1982, following the major financial contribution of the Thomson Family, Roy Thomson Music Hall opened, named in his honour.”

The home has been fully renovated since it was last on the market, in 2013, for $699,000.

It has 1,846 square-feet of living space on four levels, including three bedrooms, two full bathrooms and two half-bathrooms. It boasts hardwood floors throughout and has a private terrace at the back of the main floor and a rooftop deck off the third-floor master bedroom.

There is central air conditioning and gas heating. Property tax is listed at $4,584.

The home has no garage or driveway and there is no street parking.

Located on a quiet dead-end street off Church St. north of Wellesley St., the home overlooks Barbara Hall Park — a popular hangout for transients and drug users.

Other former residents of the home include playwright and filmmaker John Palmer.

Richard Silver and Penny Brown of Sotherby’s have the listing.