Christine Oviedo will be sad to leave the Grandview-Woodland home that’s been in her family for eight decades. Photo Dan Toulgoet
For almost 80 years, the well-kept home at 2155 William St. in Grandview-Woodland has been in Christine Oviedo’s family.
Her grandfather, Italian immigrant Domenic Liberto, built it in 1939 and it was passed on to her mother, Mary Bosze, who lived in it until she died this past December at age 87.
Oviedo had moved back in with her husband and children about 20 years ago to care for her mother as she aged.
A "beautiful" basement suite was created for Bosze, and the couple fixed up the front and back yards. They paid rent but the home remained under her mom's ownership.
Even one of Oviedo’s grandchildren lived in the home for five years — meaning five generations of family have lived in the house at various points over the years.
Now it’s just Oviedo and her husband, but much to their dismay, they’re are on the verge of moving out.
Bosze willed the home to Oviedo and her five siblings, but the property is worth far too much for any of the siblings to buy it on their own. It was put up for sale April 11 for almost $1.7 million.
“The sad thing is the home is 80 years old and it’s been in our family from when it was built — it’s the first time selling it since my Grandpa built it,” Oviedo said.
Even friends and neighbours are disappointed the house will change hands out of the family after eight decades.
Christine Oviedo and her husband took good care of the yard of a home that’s been in her family since 1939. Photo Dan Toulgoet
“Friends of [my mom’s] and friends of mine, are all calling to say, ‘Can we come and say goodbye to the house?’ — not wanting to buy it, not want to come through open houses, just see the family, see me and say goodbye to the house. It’s really touching and it’s very hard.”
Although Oviedo and her husband have their sights on a condo in a building meant for residents 60 years and older, she sees the fact she couldn’t find a way to keep the house in the family as another unfortunate side story in a city with a staggeringly expensive real estate market.
“We tried to buy it. We’ve been saving like crazy and, of course, my inheritance on the house would have brought the price down a little bit more, but there’s just no way we can afford a home at that price right now,” Oviedo said. “In our 60s now, we don’t want to consider a big mortgage for a long period of time.”
She suspects it would break her mother’s heart to know the house has been put up for sale rather than being purchased by one of her children who would have loved and cherished it like previous generations.
Bosze was well known in Grandview-Woodland. She founded East Side Family Place in 1978, was known as an advocate for seniors, served on the board of the Kettle Friendship Society, was involved with Lord Nelson and Templeton schools when her children were young and she even earned a YWCA Women of Distinction Award in 1985.
Now, Oviedo is grieving the loss of her mother, who was committed to the neighbourhood, as well as the loss of the family home.
“I can face the music but it’s hard. Even people in the community are staring at us when we come and go from the house, [saying] ‘What, you guys aren’t [going to be] here anymore?’ It’s so sad. The home has been in our family for five generations,” Oviedo said.
“The house was always a beacon in the neighbourhood… [my mom] just always helped people and it was a place of refuge. What I’ll miss about the house is it was just a place that people came to, it was a place where people knew that they could get help and where they knew that they’d be welcome.”
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