Toronto house from 1890s that looks like a museum for grabs at almost $8 million

There are old Toronto houses, and then there are houses that feel like you've accidentally wandered into another century.

The home at 97 Glengrove Ave. W. definitely falls into the latter category.

Built in 1890, the grand Victorian has been painstakingly preserved and restored by owners Ray Goodman and his wife, who have lived in the house for more than 27 years.

The foyer. 

And while plenty of century homes boast a few original details, this one takes historical preservation to another level.

The formal dining room. 

Goodman describes the house as a "livable museum," and honestly that's dead on the money.

Original stained-glass windows. 

The home boasts original stained-glass windows, pocket doors, oak wainscoting and parquet floors, along with wrought-iron fencing dating back to 1891 and radiators installed in 1899.

The front entrance. 

Even the home's original storm windows and screens have survived.

The primary ensuite bathroom. 

In other words, if you're the kind of person who gets excited about discovering original trim hiding underneath 12 coats of landlord-white paint, this place might send you into cardiac arrest.

The music room. 

And if you really want to preserve the museum experience, you can apparently buy much of its contents too.

The primary bedroom. 

The furnishings are available for purchase, with the owners offering the entire collection for 50 per cent of fair market value. If buyers only want to cherry-pick certain pieces, they'll be available for 75 per cent of fair market value.

The second floor hallway.

So, theoretically, you could buy the house and have it look pretty much exactly as it does now — Victorian furniture and all.

The kitchen. 

The house was originally built by Nicholas Garland, and Goodman, somewhat of a history buff, has spent ages digging into its past.

The office. 

In fact, if the listing doesn't provide quite enough historical information for you, Goodman has made two roughly 40-minute videos chronicling the property from before the house was built in 1890 all the way to the present day.

An outdoor patio. 

That's a level of commitment to your home's lore that deserves some respect.

A bathroom. 

And all that preservation doesn't mean buyers are inheriting a 136-year-old maintenance nightmare.

The patio. 

According to the listing, roughly $85,000 has recently been spent on upgrades, including the roof, and it claims no major infrastructure investments are required.

The main staircase. 

The scale of the house is also pretty remarkable. Ceilings soar to 11 feet on the main floor, 10 feet on the second and nine feet on the third.

The home theatre. 

Throughout the home are no fewer than nine fireplaces in various forms: four wood-burning, two gas, two electric and one ornamental.

The living room. 

The main living spaces lean heavily into the home's Victorian character rather than trying to disguise it, with dark woodwork, elaborate architectural details and the kind of rooms that practically demand antique furniture.

A guest bedroom. 

But perhaps one of the most unusual things about the property is how many different ways it can actually be used.

The third floor bedroom. 

The third floor currently functions as a separate rental apartment with its own entrance, laundry and even its own address at 17 Heather St.

The third-floor living room. 

According to the listing, it's currently rented for $3,325 per month.

Another bedroom. 

Alternatively, the house can apparently be converted from its current three-bedroom configuration into a six-bedroom single-family home by removing just one sheet of drywall connecting the spaces.

The basement kitchen. 

Downstairs, there's another roughly 2,000 square feet of walk-in basement space that can function as a nanny or grandmother suite.

The foundation walls. 

And despite being the basement of a Victorian house, ceiling heights are approximately 7.5 feet.

The basement bedroom. 

The lower level also features heated floors, a steam bath and a 20-inch stone foundation that serves as a pretty substantial reminder of just how long this house has been standing.

The wine cellar. 

Then there's the wine cellar with space for 987 bottles.

The backyard. 

Outside, things become considerably less 1890. The property has an enormous 40-by-20-foot swimming pool surrounded by a secluded garden, along with more than 1,000 square feet of private patio space for outdoor entertaining.

The front yard. 

Being on a corner lot also gives the house a little more breathing room than you'd typically expect from a property of this age in central Toronto.

The garage. 

And, in a feature that might be even more exciting to some Toronto buyers than the 19th-century architectural details, there's parking for two cars, including an indoor garage.

The basement bathroom. 

Of course, preserving this much history makes 97 Glengrove Ave. W. one of the most expensive properties for sale in the area. 

The pool. 

The house is currently listed for $7,750,000, which is a hefty price tag, but this also isn't your typical renovated luxury home where almost everything old was ripped out and replaced with whatever happened to be trending on Pinterest that year.

An aerial view of the house and property. 

After more than 27 years of careful stewardship, Goodman and his wife have seemingly done the opposite, preserving as much of the home's Victorian character as possible while making the upgrades necessary to keep a house built during the reign of Queen Victoria functioning in 2026.

The back of the house. 

So whoever buys it next isn't just getting a nearly 140-year-old Toronto mansion, a pool, a rental apartment and enough wine storage to survive several apocalypses. They're also becoming the next custodians of a pretty remarkable piece of Toronto history.