george ross eaton

Hawkridge Farm, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

This huge country manor is so large that it could easily be pressed into business as a unique hotel. The estate is 150 acres that includes forests, a freshwater stream, cattle pastures, walking trails, gardens and a pond. The home includes a large living room, formal dining room, a large kitchen, 11 bedrooms and an indoor pool.

The home belongs to George Ross Eaton, a Canadian department store heir. It was designed by Thierry Despont and building of this expansive over 28,000-foot mansion began in the late 1980s but didn't finish up until 1996 at a reported cost of $20 million Canadian. A few years later, facing tax problems, Eaton put the home on the market for that price but didn't get any takers. He later took the house off the market. An article I found on Canadians For Properly Built Homes, details a fascinating saga in which Eaton alleges a number of problems with the home. Another piece, in the Toronto Star, reports on a lawsuit in which the Eatons claimed they suffered fatigue, headaches and respiratory problems while living in the home. They say they spent over $4 million repairing the home.

Now the home is on the market for an undisclosed price. It's a rather particular home, heavy on the wallpaper and velvet, lavish certainly but old-fashioned and even a touch gloomy. Larger pics of this white elephant in the gallery or a all at once after the jump.

[Thanks, Sean!]

Gallery: Hawkridge Farm