One of the coolest neighbourhoods in the city has a new player dedicated to adding a modern edge to the working class community of small clapboard homes where many clamber onto rooftops to barbecue or hang out their laundry to dry in the sunshine.
Andrew Levitan is a gangly 6-foot-4 man with his intense blue eyes firmly fixed on finding new sites to build his slick back-to-front semi-detached homes, designed by Rick Shean, an uber-modern lead architect, working with Christopher Simmonds’ award-winning team.
The president of Larco Homes grew up in a construction family. His father, Richard Levitan led Larco to become a key player in the Ottawa housing scene, building large inner-suburban communities. The elder Levitan retired, leaving Andrew to focus on large custom homes and inner city urban infills.
The younger Levitan is a happy man.
He recently finished four back to front homes on Pinhey Street in the heart of Hintonburg, an eclectic community bounded by the Parkdale Market to the west, the O-Train to the east, Scott Street to the north and the Queensway to the south.
The transformation of Hintonburg has been amazing during the past five years, says Levitan, who bought one lot in 2011 and a second, neighbouring vacant chunk of land in 2014. The 60-foot width gave the architect freedom to design four chocolate-brown cedar and white stucco units, which are separated by a central lane and joined on upper levels.
“Five years ago, this community was not a hipster place. Today you see modern infill homes everywhere. There are lots of great restaurants on Wellington. Lebreton Flats is five minutes away. It is a great community with lots of life,” says Levitan.
A check of community resources shows an active community association, a long list of small art galleries and studios, Orpheus Musical Theatre and the Great Canadian Theatre Company are nearby, and neighbours who are listening, can hear the bells of Saint-Francois d’Assise Church on Wellington.
The transformation of Hintonburg is going to continue, predicts Levitan, who aims to be part of that change.
Inside, the slim homes are filled with natural light thanks to Shean’s obsession with oversized windows — from floor to ceiling glazing in the living rooms, to corner options in the kitchen and glass set high in ceilings that defies curious neighbours, yet invites in the sunshine.
The third-floor, or bedroom level, of the two rear homes is washed in light, thanks to high, slim windows.
Designer Anna Riopelle tucked a mirror into the corner of the third-floor bathroom, making room for a large window that delivers a view of the street.
“It is important to have eyes on the street in a community,” says Levitan, who is considering buying a front unit for himself. He and his partner have a cottage in the Gatineau hills and a condo on the edge of the Byward Market. “I would like to be in the neighbourhood.
The rear homes — one is sold to a young family with children — are 26 feet wide, delivering three bedrooms and 1,830 square feet over four levels with an additional 400 square feet of finished living space in the basement. The remaining back unit is $784,900.
The two front homes are 20 feet wide, with two large bedrooms in 1,700 square feet, plus the finished basement. They are $774,900.
The homes have nine-foot ceilings, with the back units offering a small backyard, with enough space for a basketball net and the front homes featuring a small balcony.
Riopelle has finished the homes with a delicate, colour-coordinated hand, from the patterned tiles in the bathrooms to charcoal leather furniture in a front living room and a charcoal grey kitchen in the front unit. In the rear unit, Riopelle opted for a glossy white kitchen.
Granite counters and hardwood floors are standard in these Energy Star homes, which promise low heating bills and a big helping of urban living.
“This is exactly the kind of intensification the city wants and the community supports,” says Levitan.
Larco Hintonburg
Where: 63 and 65 Pinhey Street
What: Four semi-detached homes, 1,830 square feet and three bedrooms, $784,900 and 1,700 square feet and two bedrooms, $774,900. Both plans have an additional 400 square feet of finished living space in the basement.
Contact: Visit Larcohintonburg.com for more information, e-mail info@larcohomes.com or call 613-225-0040
