Gorgeous $23 million mansion in the woods has a design inspired by calculus | CNN
Thank You!
Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much
appreciated.
Close
Ad Feedback
Gorgeous $23 million mansion in the woods has a design inspired by calculus
For sale: one of North America's most luxurious and intriguing homes. A curving, mathematically modeled mansion built atop a ravine in Toronto by the eccentric millionaire author of high school calculus textbooks. Half-concert hall, half-glass-sided architectural experiment -- it could now be yours for just over $23 million.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Situated in the leafy Rosedale neighborhood of Toronto, Integral House -- the name a reference to the "integral" symbol used in calculus, which inspired its curved design -- appears modest from the two-storey frontage. But moving to the rear reveals a five-level structure that plays host to four bedrooms, eight bathrooms, and a spa, infinity pool, elevator, and roof garden.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
The house at 194 Roxborough Drive is the creation of Dr Jim Stewart, the Canadian professor behind a popular series of mathematics textbooks that have been translated into 12 languages. Stewart's success came as a surprise, even to him, he claimed, and he resolved to put almost all he earned into this -- his "masterpiece."
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Stewart traveled across the world in search of the architect to realize his ambitions -- interviewing Rem Koolhaas and curve-fanatic Frank Gehry -- but eventually commissioned local firm Shim-Sutcliffe Architects. Giving the designers almost complete creative freedom, they delivered the 18,000-square-foot mansion that is now being offered to buyers.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
The architecture is realized in sweeps of glass and oak which reveal the forest scenery of the home's surroundings. Despite its modernist design (usually the domain of hard, unbending lines), Stewart stipulated was that the building pay homage to the curve, a shape which plays a central role in his life's passion -- calculus.
"Calculus is the mathematics of curves, and there is an infinite variety of them. Curves are what make the world go around,' he explained. The curvilinear motif, here, is not restricted to the exterior walls, he adds: the handrails, furniture, ceilings, and stairs follow the winding shape.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Dr Stewart died on December 3, at the age of 73, shortly after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a form of cancer that affects bone marrow and the kidneys. In interview, weeks before his death, Dr Stewart said: "You can see the drawings, you can see the models... but to actually be here is a revelation, and a very happy revelation."
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Stewart, a professional violinist and music lover, lived alone in the intimidating mansion but created the space to host friends for art events and musical salons. 150 can fit into the double-height concert hall, which hosted American composers Philip Glass and Steve Reich, among many others.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
When not filled with music fans, the house played host to events for the many LGBT causes Stewart supported. It has been reported that the proceeds from the sale of the house will be given to the various charities for which Stewart was patron.
Stewart was famously reluctant to give away his age in interviews with the press and so, too, he held onto details of the house's costs. This has not stopped the figure being reported by the Wall Street Journal to be around $24 million -- although other estimates are even higher.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Although sale -- even at the mighty listing price -- would represent a loss for the project, Stewart made it clear that building the house was a personal calling rather than investment.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
"My books and my house are my twin legacies," Stewart said to the WSJ on the house's completion in 2009. "If I hadn't commissioned this house, I'm not sure what I would spend the money on."
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
A place of pilgrimage for architecture fans in his later life, Stewart recalls in an interview with the Toronto Star returning home to find two architecture students looking through the windows -- the ever-generous Stewart invited them in for a tour.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
In addition to music and maths, the house displays Stewart's third great passion: for handmade glassware, his collection of which is displayed in exhibition areas around the house. This extravagant blue stairway is the result of a collaboration between Stewart, the architects, and Canadian glass artist Mimi Gellman and consists of handblown laminated blue glass mounted on bronze fittings.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
The house is heated from pipes from geothermal heat sources and has a "green roof" to provide insulation. Both are intended to make the house as energy efficient as possible.
courtesy Sotheby's International Realty Canada
Stewart and the house are the subjects of a new documentary film "The Integral Man" that started production before his death, and is scheduled for release in 2016. A long trailer can be found on the film's website.
