Category: Abandoned Houses

Abandoned Houses in Ontario. These may include farms, time capsules, rural properties and luxury homes.


The Abandoned Hippy Camp

I don’t have a lot of background information on this property. I was told that it was once a hippy camp during the 1960’s. It’s been well preserved mainly because it’s tucked away in a forested area of Ontario. There are several buildings on the property, which appear to have been last in use as seasonal residences.

A follower of mine was able to send me some information on this place, that showed it used to be a community. Unfortunately I lost the information on the history of this site.

During a follow up visit, we did see someone using one of the furthest buildings as a camping ground.


Abandoned Stain Glass Farm House

This is a rural farm out in the country. The front entrance features yellow and blue stain glass. The staircase is the usual wooden newel post design that was so prevalent in these designs.

An assistance walker in the front entrance along with the dated bed frame and overall design of the home, leads me to think that an elderly couple resided here until their passing away.

 


Sandra’s House

This location is named Sandra’s House for the young girl who once lived here. As of 2021, she would be approximately 29 years old. In her bedroom still hang the movie posters from Walt Disney’s Pocahontas (released in 1995).

The house was a treasure trove of vintage children’s toys at one time. These items include an Easy Bake oven and a Lite-Brite. A Lite-Brite is a toy in which you’d insert coloured pegs into a honeycomb-like grid that was placed over a piece of black cardboard paper. On the black paper were tiny letters indicating what colour pegs to place into the grid. Once you’d inserted the clear plastic pegs, they’d break through the  paper and instantly light up from the light bulb inside the toy. The result of inserting all of the proper coloured pegs, were different designs such as flowers or boats. The toy came with a variety of different designs on the black paper.

Given the age of the television and a few scarce VHS tapes, I’d estimate the house was abandoned sometime during the late 1990’s.

The house has seen considerable natural decay over the years; the paint on the walls is peeling and holes in the roof allowing the elements inside. On my visit I didn’t even venture into the room with all of the vintage toys, a lesson to be learned about exploring all the nooks and crannies.

I could find only one reference to Sandra on the internet, which in this day and age is something remarkable. Whomever owned the home had the first initial of “R”, but my research has come up empty so far. The family was Italian, which would explain the photo of Mary.

There are barns out back, but I didn’t explore them. I hope to return for a follow-up visit soon.


Puslinch Highway Abandoned House

This is a well documented house in the urban exploration hobby as the house is found alongside a well traveled highway near Hamilton. The house has been vacant for as long as I can remember. In recent years wooden beams have been added to the exterior of the house, presumably to reinforce the frame.

Despite the condition of the house, the owner allegedly doesn’t want to sell the land.


Nature’s Backyard House

This house is located in a large metropolitan area, tucked away in a small forested pocket off of a highway. The house is barely visible from the road.

The house was constructed in 1967.

It was last occupied by a family from Syria. The family came to Canada as refugees from the war torn country of Syria. The four children were not able to attend school or go outside in their homeland. Seven family members lived in a small bachelor sized apartment.

Perhaps you’ve seen the news coverage of Syria, particularly overwhelmed hospitals where small children have been seriously injured in the conflict. After ten years of war, many of the buildings are now shells, and over 12,000 children have died or been injured since 2011 (source: Unicef).

They family sought better living conditions and knew that Canada was a safe haven. They made a three-week trek to Canada. The children are now in school and learning English (they spoke only Arabic). The  father went to school in Ontario and is now working at a car dealership.

This house was donated to the family. This makes me appreciate what a great country Canada is. 🇨🇦 Don’t ever take for granted your freedom.

A development company purchased the property for $16,400,000 and the occupants found new housing. The family left behind several child’s toys, bedding and large television sets.

The developer plans to build a new subdivision on the property. The community has been outspoken in their opposition to eradicating green space to create new housing. Several years ago, the city council had agreed that the land was not for development.


Video

Abandoned Ontario Nature's Backyard House

Foggy Day Time Capsule Farm House

Let me preface this by stating that this isn’t a complete time capsule house. It’s a small rural farm house that looks like it was vacated during the 80’s. 


Norling Farm (Abandoned Computers)

This is a rural property that’s been around for some years now. I have never been back to check on whether any of the items are still there. There’s a minivan and a parted-out car in the garage and a 40 foot motorhome.

Whoever lived here would certainly have been someone I could get acquainted with. They were an avid computer enthusiast and video game collector. Some of the computers include a Commodore PET and 8050 dual drive, a Radio Shack TRS-80 and what looks like a ZX-80. Video game consoles include an Atari 2600 and a Coleco Telstar Marksman. There was a reel-to-reel tape player as well. I wouldn’t expect any of these to still be in working condition.

Inside the house are many cages in various rooms, which was somewhat disturbing.


Abandoned Royal Canadian Legion House in Guelph, Ontario

An old decaying house on the grounds of the Royal Canadian Legion property.


Abandoned Cattle Farm in Milton, Ontario

This former farm is near Milton, Ontario. There’s still electricity inside the house. A note inside indicates that a squatter or tenant has to move out shortly.

There are barns, stables and an indoor riding arena where the cattle were shown or horses were ridden.

As of June 2017 the house has been renovated and is active again.


Peter Grant Mansion – Canada’s Largest Abandoned Mansion

At 65,000 square feet, the Peter Grant Mansion goes by different names – Haileybury House, Peter Grant Mansion or simply “Canada’s Largest Mansion”. It was built along the shores of Lake Temiskaming in Northern Ontario by Peter Grant Junior.

Peter Grant grew up in the New Liskeard area. He started as a plant manager for Elk Planning Mill Limited and became president of the company in 1976. The same year he became president of the Grant Lumber Company Limited. which held partial ownership of the Elk mill until 1995.

Mr. Grant started Grant Forest Products in 1980, making him the 87th richest person in Canada by 2004. His company was North America’s third largest supplier of oriented strand board. Peter built his own private nine hole golf course named Frog’s Breath. He used his money for philanthropy, raising millions for charity through the Frog’s Breath Foundation.

In 1998, he held the first of many annual fundraising events, raising $523,000. In 2005, $500,000 raised was split between the Temiskaming Hospital and the Englehart and Area Community Complex. In 2006 the foundation was able to donate $750,000 towards the Kirkland District Health Centre.

Over a period of 9 years these golf tournaments raised over $12 million dollars with the help of hundreds of volunteers, community supporters and the generosity of Grant Forest Products Incorporated who matched the event proceeds.

By 2007 however the tournament was cancelled, citing the financial downturn in the lumber industry.

Construction of the mansion began in 2005, which was to be used as both Peter’s home and a corporate office. The house was to feature an art gallery, waterfalls, golf course, and squash court. It has two elevators, a boat house big enough for a 40-foot yacht, an indoor pool, a giant hot tub and 30-foot fireplaces in the master bedroom and living room.

By 2009, the American housing market downturn led to the company filing for court protection from creditors, with a roughly $600,000,000 debt. All of the company’s assets, including the mansion, were put up for sale. Construction of the house stopped in 2008.

In 2010 the property was listed for sale at $25,000,000 and sat idle for a few more years until being purchased by a Toronto company. For three years the company failed to pay the taxes on the property and the town of Haileybury put the property up for sale. In the final hours before the sale, the company came forward and paid the taxes owing.

It’s estimated that the property would need $1 million just to complete the construction. The mansion sits in disrepair. The floors are still plywood, electrical wiring hasn’t been completed, the walls were left unfinished and the property has an industrial look to it rather than a home.

The property has been fenced off and No Trespassing signage posted.


Video

Exploring the Abandoned Peter Grant Mansion in Haileybury, Ontario

October 2023 Update

CBC news reporter Erik White published an article about how the property has been purchased by a Texas entrepreneur named Chris Fischer.

Canada’s largest house and infamous northern Ontario eyesore set to star in ‘Mansion Impossible’

Erik White · CBC News · Posted: Oct 13, 2023 2:23 PM EDT | Last Updated: October 13

A large silver and round house is surrounded by tall grass
This 65,000 square-foot unfinished mansion on the shores of Lake Temiskaming that has become an infamous eyesore over the last decade is about to become the star of a reality TV show called ‘Mansion Impossible’. (Erik White/CBC)

After years of sitting abandoned, things are finally happening at one of northern Ontario’s most infamous eyesores.

The Grant mansion on Lake Temiskaming in Haileybury is said to be the largest house in Canada, but it was never finished.

Now it is set to star in a proposed new reality TV show called Mansion Impossible

“It’s spooky, scary, destroyed. It’s a mess,” producer Theresa Kowall-Shipp said of the inside of the 65,000 square-foot house.

Forestry magnate Peter Grant envisioned a sprawling lakefront mansion when his company purchased the land for $110,000 in 2004.

Plans were made for a massive subterranean boathouse, a golf course and a moat on the outside, while the inside would feature waterfalls, an art gallery and only one bedroom. 

It was listed for $25 million in 2010, was sold to a numbered Toronto-based company, that has done little on the property other than put up fencing and security cameras, although that has not kept keep vandals and curious visitors from trespassing. 

“Folks come into town and they want to know where it is and can they go have a look,” said Temiskaming Shores Mayor Jeff Laferriere. 

A 'private property/no trespassing sign' on a chain link fence with a large house in the background
The Grant mansion was almost seized by the City of Temiskaming Shores for unpaid taxes in 2017, but the owners covered the $150,00 bill just before the deadline. (Erik White/CBC )

Kowall-Shipp says a Texas entrepreneur named Chris Fischer, who she describes as an “audacious, irreverent, master of sarcasm,” recently took possession of the house through a private vendor take-back mortgage agreement with the numbered company.

“He’s looking a lot of different possibilities for what this property could turn into, what this house could turn into. That’s a big part of the story we’ll be following,” she said.

Mansion Impossible, which is currently being shopped around to TV networks and streaming services, would also tell the “fish of out water” story of a Texas family that moves to northern Ontario to take on this major renovation project, expected to take several years to complete.

“The plan is that we will be following them into the house in the spring and we will watch and record what happens when they get in there,” said Kowall-Shipp.

“I’m actually staring at the building right now from my office,” said Mayor Laferriere.

“You know, just seeing it rot has been a challenge.”

He says people in Temiskaming Shores are excited to see something finally happening with the house, and “it’s going to be a challenge, but at the same time, what a great idea.”

Erik White is a CBC journalist based in Sudbury. He covers a wide range of stories about northern Ontario. Connect with him on Twitter @erikjwhite. Send story ideas to erik.white@cbc.ca