leslieville dollhouse

New owners of the Leslieville dollhouse reveal their plans for unusual Toronto home

The creepy-cool unofficial Toronto monument known as the Leslieville dollhouse was sold after 30 years earlier this month, and with its new owners will come a fresh new look.

For 3 decades, the home at 37 Bertmount Ave has been delighting, dismaying and befuddling passersby with its uniquely ample collection of bits and bobs, such as plush toys, the titular dolls and retro holiday decor, adorning every square inch of its front facade.

When word dropped earlier this summer that the home, after decades, was going on the market, it sent shockwaves — equally of relief and concern — throughout the community.

What would become of the home? Would the new owners maintain its current kitschy, hoarderific glory? Would anyone actually buy the house?

When, a little over a month later, the house was sold — for $100,000 under asking, I might add — the intrigue only intensified.

As it would happen, the home's new owner, who has requested his name remain redacted, was initially wholly unaware of the zeitgeist surrounding the home.

As he tells blogTO, he learned of the home's notoriety quickly.

"I hadn't heard of it, but my friends had," he tells blogTO, "I didn't know it was a thing but then we were at a bar in the area with some friends and a table next to us overheard us and were like 'you bought the dollhouse?'"

"I was like 'oh, people know about this,'" he says.

A fixer-upper to boot, the new owner tells blogTO that his immediate impression of the home contained equal amounts of admiration and dread.

When asked about his initial thoughts on the home, he tells blogTO; "my nice answer is like 'oh that's cute,' but I was also like 'oh God, what are we getting ourselves into?'"

According to the new owner, a builder by trade, it was always in the cards for he and his husband to purchase and renovate a house in need of some extra love and, in addition to the major clear-out job that'll have to be done on the front yard, there's plenty of work to be done on the inside of the house, too.

"The inside was exactly as you'd expect it;" he tells blogTO, "equal nicknacks," on top of a number of other necessary updates that'll need to be made, though he adds "the kitchen's not bad."

Anticipating months of renovations to come to get the bargain home into better condition, the first thing that needs to go is, unfortunately for some, the front lawn decor.

"The dolls are going to come down on the first weekend," he tells blogTO, "but, like, for no other reason than we have to put a disposal bin on the front lawn. [...] We're not looking to go in and just tear it down but we need the space for the bin."

In spite of the fact that the Leslieville dollhouse is not much longer for this world, the home's new owners still recognize the impact that it's had on the community, and plan to give its fans the chance to honour its legacy.

"Knowing that the dolls are a staple in the community, we wanted to give those who have enjoyed the home over the years to see it one last time," the owner tells blogTO.

"We figured we would make a small event of it and allow people to see the dolls in all of their glory, as well as take a favourite home with them!  We are asking that those who come by to bring a donation that we will be donating to either SickKids Hospital or a local food-bank."

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 29, admirers of the Leslieville dollhouse can head to the home at 37 Bertmount Avenue and pick up a souvenir from the iconic property to keep the memory alive for years to come in exchange for a PWYC donation.

After publication, the home's owners have informed blogTO that all proceeds from the event on Sept. 29 will be donated to MLSE Foundation’s Change The Game campaign, "which is dedicated to raising funds and awareness to address systemic barriers preventing youth from reaching their full potential."

Lead photo by

Fareen Karim


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