The Main Loft

What really hits home is just how much space you get in a building like this. Are you ready to go back to school?

With creative decorating, the gymnasium is reminiscent of an elegant New York Loft.

The main loft is a 2000 square foot gymnasium (40'x50') boasting a 20-foot runway kitchen with 8-foot island. The towering white kitchen cupboards are installed on a wall which was built to separate the main gym from the stage area (behind the cupboards).

And yes, we kept the basketball hoops over the kitchen and the Fireplace !!

What is a "loft"?

Where the Ends Meet

The end wall opposite the kitchen features a floor-to-ceiling stone propane fireplace with a heat-shift system - hidden behind the basketball hoop.

Valour H6 direct vent- 70% efficiency; 28,000 BTU
Thermostat controlled
Radiant heating - runs without hydro
Stonework is Versetta Terra Rosa
Custom hand hewn mantel from Chisholm Lumber
Cost to install the fireplace in 2019 was $25,000

Original Porcelain Tile Floors

The school was built in 1964 and the wonderful original porcelain-tile gym floors remain in place today, lines and all.

Each tile measures 6" x 6"
No grouting between tiles
It took approximately 8,000 tiles to make the floor
Replacement cost (2019) was estimated at $150,000

The Coffee Bar

Immediately off of the kitchen is the Coffee Bar with not one, but two bar fridges below the counter.

This was the original kitchenette for the school where teachers made hotdogs for the children one day a week.

Exposed block walls were preserved.

Yes, look closely, that is Paul Newman in one of the photos !!

Plants & area rugs create theme areas throughout the Main Loft. Here is the Entertainment area with 65" flat-screen television and leather furniture from the Olde Hidehouse in Acton Ontario.

Bookcases from Ethan Allen.

Three sets of patio doors have been added to the Loft north wall, opening onto a large 12' x 50' adjoining BBQ deck.

The formal dining area is centered in the loft.

The large custom overhead light fixture adds to the formal elegance of the Italian glass dining room table. Yet the loft projects an inviting informality with its towering stone fireplace, leather furniture and large windows.

Schoolhouse Living