A palatial mansion in Point Grey with views of the Strait of Georgia and Bowen Island was predicted in 2009 to be Vancouver’s most expensive home when it was completed.
But despite being valued at about $31.6 million this year, the home, built on a 1.7-acre property once owned by Nelson Skalbania at 4707 Belmont Ave., ranks only as the second highest assessed single-family home in Metro Vancouver, Squamish and Whistler.
The most expensive home in the region is at 3085 Point Grey Rd., which is assessed at $37.2 million, according to BC Assessment rolls.
Not much is known about the mansion, which is registered to a numbered company in Vancouver with Dennis James Wilson listed as the sole director.
Wilson, who is also the company’s president and secretary, is founder of Vancouver’s Lululemon Athletica Inc.
Meanwhile, a house a few blocks away, at 2815 Point Grey Rd., was the third most expensive home in the region, with an assessed value of $25.6 million, followed by a property at 5695 Newton Wynd ($25.3 million), and two more homes on Belmont — at 4719 and 4857 — valued at about $24.2 million each.
The Hollies, a southern-style mansion built in 1913 for railway mogul George MacDonald at 1388 The Crescent in Shaughnessy came in seventh at $23.8 million.
The six-bedroom mansion, once Vancouver’s most expensive home with an asking price of $15 million, has an indoor pool with a retractable roof designed by architect Arthur Erickson, five fireplaces, eight bathrooms and finished living space of almost 8,000 square feet.
Other amenities include a golf pitching area and putting green, tennis court, tree house, playground and coach house.
Close on the Hollies’ heels is a one-acre property at 3489 Osler, valued at $21.9 million. The Osler Street property was the priciest house sold in Vancouver in 2010, at just over $17.5 million dollars.
It was described in 1995 as featuring more than 10,000 square feet of living space, an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, tennis courts, a gymnasium and a sauna. It also has a separate 2,000-square-foot maid’s residence.
Two homes in West Vancouver — at 3330 Radcliffe Ave. ($21.8 million) and 1690 Marlowe Pl. ($20.3 million) — wrapped up the top 10. The value of the Radcliffe home, however, is down from 2008 when it was assessed at $23.9 million.
Source: The Vancouver Sun