A Victorian home for two

Globe and Mail29-05-2025

451 Sackville St., Toronto
Asking Price: $1,935,000
Taxes: $9,649.25 (2024)
Lot Size: 17.37 by 115 feet
Agents: Christian Vermast and Paul Maranger, Sotheby's International Realty Canada
In the early 1990s, Nova Scotia native Shauna MacDonald moved to Toronto to pursue an acting career.
'It was a very deliberate and conscious move,' she said of her decision to steer clear of Los Angeles. 'I thought: 'I want to be a working actor, and I want it to be where I love – Canada. The work will come.''
Long before her first acting gig, Ms. MacDonald had developed a fascination with Russia. She studied at Montreal's McGill University, then spent a year at Leningrad State University before the breakup of the Soviet Union.
After completing her studies at McGill, she landed back in a newly independent Riga, Latvia and strived to improve her fluency in Russian.
'It's an odd language to learn,' she acknowledged with a laugh.
That facility with the language got her work on a film set in Riga, where she was captivated by the art of moviemaking. When a Hollywood actress was reluctant to travel across a bridge in an old Soviet car, Ms. MacDonald was tapped as a stand-in.
'There was no one from Antigonish who did anything like that,' she said. 'It was just magical.'
In Toronto, Ms. MacDonald landed a role as a Russian psychic in the television series Earth: Final Conflict.
Along the way, she also worked for a Russian firm as a translator and secretary.
In the 2000s, she played the part of Constable Erica Miller in Trailer Park Boys and served as the 'promo girl' announcer for CBC Radio One.
As she built her résumé, Ms. MacDonald purchased a cottage on Georgian Bay and began to think about buying a house in the city.
By that time, she had formed a close friendship with the upstairs neighbour at her rental apartment in the west end. She floated the idea of purchasing a duplex together, and her friend agreed.
Home of the Week: House in Halfmoon Bay hugs a rock cliff
Another friend who worked in real estate suggested the two women consider Cabbagetown. The area around Carlton and Parliament streets has a Victorian-era streetscape and a vibrant culture that attracts people in the arts and creative industries.
Ms. MacDonald was drawn to the sense of belonging and community, which reminded her of growing up in small-town Nova Scotia.
She and her friend first saw a red-brick Victorian divided into upper and lower units in 2003.
'She's a beautiful house. It was love at first sight,' she said. 'It was also the first house we'd seen that was equally separated, so neither of us would have to sacrifice.'
The pair submitted an offer for the semi-detached house, but it was rejected by the seller, who eventually pulled the listing.
By 2004, they still hadn't found a house when 451 Sackville St. landed back on the market at a lower price.
The two quickly struck a deal to buy the property and had a co-ownership agreement drawn up by a lawyer.
Ms. MacDonald and her partner in homebuying soon immersed themselves in restoring the circa-1887 dwelling that the previous owner had used as an investment property.
'She had so much potential,' Ms. MacDonald said. 'The energy is so good in this house.'
The semi provided 2,712 square feet of living space, including the basement, but the small, closed-in rooms and corridors felt cramped. The bathrooms and other rooms also had an 'eighties vibe' from previous renovations.
The women decided that Ms. MacDonald would take the main floor and lower level so she would have access to the backyard for her two whippets. Her friend would live on the second and third floors.
Cabbagetown was designated a Heritage Conservation District in the early 2000s, so any changes to the exterior of the house required a permit.
Ms. MacDonald had a new front door made to replicate one of the original doors on the street.
Today, residents and guests arrive to a shared vestibule.
On the main floor, Ms. MacDonald had walls removed and the space opened up to bring light through the interior. The double living room with a wood-burning fireplace has a bay window overlooking the street.
The dining room and kitchen are at the centre. At the rear, a bedroom has a sliding door to the deck and backyard.
The lower level has a large bathroom and a storage room.
Ms. MacDonald says her unit reflects her love of the arts and creativity. She also restored some of the heritage character with crown mouldings, a ceiling medallion and light fixtures.
In the bathroom, she chose a claw-foot tub and vanity in keeping with the period of the house.
The dining room with poppy-coloured walls has been the setting for many sessions with Ms. MacDonald's acting coach and mentor.
When she co-wrote a film, 15 people at a time gathered to read scripts in the living room.
Meanwhile, her friend renovated the upstairs unit in a more traditional style.
We thought, 'let's have artsy downstairs and business upstairs,' Ms. MacDonald said.
There's a living room at the front, a bedroom and bathroom at the centre, and an open kitchen with stainless steel appliances and a dining area at the rear.
Stairs lead to a loft with a vaulted ceiling, which can serve as a bedroom or office.
After a few years, Ms. MacDonald's friend moved on, and the actor purchased the other half of the property.
Ms. MacDonald had tenants upstairs for several years. When the COVID pandemic put Toronto under lockdown, a musician friend moved into the upper unit.
Singer-songwriter Wolfgang Webb wrote two albums in the upstairs loft, she said.
'It's a house that nurtures your artistry.'
The two turned an upstairs room into a sound studio with acoustic panels, broadloom and foam padding.
Ms. MacDonald performed auditions in the upstairs living room and recorded audiobooks in the studio.
'We were doing everything from home,' she said. 'Actors had to become camera operators, and I got a blue screen. I really had to up my game at home because the industry demanded it.'
As Ms. MacDonald made improvements to the main floor, she decided to enlarge the tiny kitchen.
'I want a big kitchen – that's where people live,' she recalls thinking. 'It's like a Nova Scotian kitchen party.'
She chose high-gloss black cabinets, red countertops, and black-and-white floor tiles.
The room has been at the centre of holiday gatherings she bills as 'gays, strays and divorcées.'
'We would have 100 people on the main floor,' she said. 'They were legendary parties.'