The route from Toronto to 1 Banfield St. in Paris, Ont., takes the driver some 108 kilometres .
.. and 175 years back in time.
The 1 Banfield residence, just put on the market by Toronto entrepreneur, philanthropist and art collector for a price of $4,895,000 is a slice of the Brant County municipality’s past. Built in the mid-1800s for , an industrialist, an early mayor and a reeve of Paris, the property has been lovingly restored and renovated to make it comfortable for a 21st-century occupant, mixing the old and the new in striking fashion. The home is located up the hill from Paris’ bustling downtown.
The town, which has a population of about 15,000, sits along on the shores of the in . It was founded in 1829 from a settlement originally known as the Forks of the Grand River and incorporated by an Act of Parliament in 1855. It was named for the deposits of gypsum in the valley, which were used to manufacture Plaster of Paris for fertilizer used in this agricultural region.
Whitlaw, the home’s original owner, was an industrialist who moved to Paris in 1845 to establish a flour mill and a general store with partner James Tilney. He later purchased the New Paris Mills, Canada’s largest at the time, and was active in politics, the Congregational Church and as a philanthropist. At the time of his death, he was head of the extensive firm of Whitlaw, Baird & Co.
, Merchants, Millers and Grain Dealers, Insurance Agents etc. When Bachir first visited 1 Banfield, he had no real notion of the history of the house or the area. He was simply looking for a getaway from the hectic pace of life in Toronto and was taken by the home, itself.
“I was mesmerized by the space,” he said. In the fashion of the day, the regal brick home has exterior walls that are 60 centimetres thick. Main floor rooms have high ceilings and some have gilded crown moulding.
Bachir has put the space to good use as a setting for his extensive art collection that includes works by , , and others. The residence boasts five fireplaces, hardwood floors, copper eaves and a slate roof. In a nod to modernity, there is also a spa bathroom with a skylight and a steam room, as well as a fitness centre on the lower level, where the floors were redone with Douglas fir.
“A house with this much history and so few owners rarely comes to market, and when one does, it usually isn’t renovated and restored like this one,” said Paul Maranger, senior vice-president of sales for . The house offers about 8,900 sq. ft.
of living space. This prompted Bachir to question initially whether it was suitable for one person. However, marriage to artist and a regular flow of guests have made that an unnecessary concern.
“Friends come down for refuge and to refresh themselves,” he said. “We also hold fundraisers here, such as one for the local food bank we hosted seven or 10 years ago. did the food.
” Kennedy is only one of the famous names who has wafted through the home over the years. Whitlaw was friends with Alexander Graham Bell, who was a frequent visitor, and also hosted Henry Ford. More recently, author Margaret Atwood has been a guest, as has Jordan Bitove, publisher of the Toronto Star.
Bachir is a celebrity, too, although he is too modest to consider himself as such. He is former president of Cineplex Media and former co-owner and president of Famous Players Media, positions that often brought him into contact with actors and stars. A generous philanthropist who has helped sustain and contributed to , he is also the author of a memoir full of celebrity anecdotes, “First to Leave the Party: My Life with Ordinary People .
.. Who Happen to Be Famous” (Penguin Random House, 2023).
The grounds, a shade less than two acres, are beautifully landscaped and come with an anecdote of their own. Bashir recalls that when the late Queen Elizabeth II came to Brant County during her Jubilee, friends with a young daughter were staying at 1 Banfield. Bachir suggested that the youngster cut some of the beautiful peonies from the yard and offer them to the Queen as she passed by.
The Queen accepted the flowers. Now, 32 years after he first saw an ad for 1 Banfield, which has its own postal code, and wangled an invitation to dinner there, Bachir is ready to move ..
. but only as far as the property next door. “I’m 68 and have some health issues, and the house next door has an elevator and studio space for my husband,” said Bachir.
“It’s time for someone else to make memories here. “It’s a magical place.” • 8,900+ square foot home • $4,895,000 asking price • $14,672.
73 in annual property taxes (2024) • 54’ x 20’ saltwater pool • 10 total parking spaces • Five bedrooms • Five fireplaces • Five-plus-four bathrooms • Five rebuilt stone chimneys on the grounds • Two sets of French doors in dining room • Two-car garage • 1.99-acre lot • One butler’s pantry Sources: Paul Maranger & Christian Vermast, Sotheby’s International Realty.
