Dear reader,

Every Torontonian has a memory of Casa Loma. Maybe you recently visited its spotless solarium for high tea, or perhaps you got sick there on a field trip as kid—and the traumatic scent of Lysol and maple sawdust are still fresh in your brain. 

It’s difficult to overstate how cool (and weird) Casa Loma is: a 64,000-square-foot Gothic Revival castle overlooking the skyline, within walking distance of Spadina Museum, George Brown College and that Krispy Kreme on Dupont. City-owned, it’s a heritage oddity that has been mercifully spared the bulldozer mentality so pervasive in Toronto. 

Curb Appeal’s top post this week—an $8.5-million old-world compound backing onto Nordheimer Ravine—is just up the street. Utterly ornate in its own right, the mansion’s proximity to such a cherished landmark has only boosted its hefty selling price.

Also in today’s newsletter: a couple journeys to the east end and back on a quest to find their starter home. Plus, a Port Carling cabin with a retrofuturist roof and a rare American Foursquare in the Beaches with an angel statue in the living room. Visit torontolife.com for all our real estate coverage. 

This 8,300-square-foot compound in midtown sits just up the street from Casa Loma and comes with six bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Old-world in style, it also has a cupola, a wrought-iron wine cellar, several fireplaces and access to a ravine. Take the tour now.

For six years, Dylan and Matt had been happily renting in Little Italy. They weren’t looking to buy, but when interest rate hikes put an end to bidding wars, they seized the opportunity. Read their story.

Here’s a $4.3 million, 1,800-square-foot retreat in Port Carling with a Jetsons-like roof, flagstone walls, a rooftop patio, a private beach and a two-slip boathouse that spills over the shoreline. 

A five-bedroom, six-bathroom American Foursquare steps from Silver Birch Beach. It has an angel statue in the living room, a library and a jumbo deck overlooking a forest. And it’s currently going for $3.7 million.

In the latest issue: the perilous lives of international students. Plus, the professor, the caregiver and the case of the missing $30 million; a Q&A with drag legend Priyanka; the best secret supper clubs; and more. Still not receiving Toronto Life at home? Subscribe today.