Many who have been born and raised in the Sault and area think they know the region well and are familiar with all it has to offer.
Then, a hidden treasure appears, leading some to exclaim ‘I never knew that was there.’
A large and luxurious cottage style house built on Picture Island near St. Joseph Island could qualify as one of those gems.
The house and the island went up for sale this week for $5 million.
“I’ve circled that island a thousand times or more in my life and I didn’t even know there was such a spectacular place up there,” said Rob Trembinski, EXIT Realty Lake Superior sales representative, speaking to SooToday.
“The island is 47 acres and you can actually see it right from the St. Joseph Island Bridge but the house is a little bit hard to see. It’s a little bit hard to see the majesty of it because it’s about 100 feet off the water.”
“The property has been in the same family for over 100 years. They’re not from the area but they owned the island and property around it for a long time. The last thing that they own is Picture Island. The patriarch of the family built the cottage as a family retreat,” Trembinski said.
“It was designed with the main house as a gathering place and there’s plenty of space for a large gathering. Inside, the main living space is over 3,000 square feet. The decks are over 3,000 square feet and then the separate bunk house was designed as a night time gathering place. Each of the four bedrooms in the bunk house opens up into a screened in porch, which are also large spaces.”
While the island had already been in the owning family’s possession through the years, the family began building the actual home in 2005.
“It took them a couple of years to build it. They spared no expense in building it the way that they wanted it to be built. They ran an underwater power line to St. Joseph Island, which is a massive expense,” Trembinski said.
“It’s not an outhouse type of place,” the realtor chuckled.
“There’s a full septic system on the island which services the two buildings and there are four large bathrooms.”
For Trembinski, the Picture Island house and property is the biggest item he’s ever listed as a realtor.
“There are some spectacular places around here, and there are a lot of commercial properties that would be worth more but when it comes to a recreational property, it is a gem of Lake Huron. It’s a special place for sure. It’s right beside where a lot of boaters gather at Whiskey Rock. This island is right beside Whiskey Rock. It certainly is one of the nicest places I’ve listed and this one is certainly special.”
“It’s almost like you’re buying your own little country,” Trembinski said.
At the same time, Picture Island is very close to St. Joseph Island and all its amenities.
Trembinksi said the house could be used as a private home or as a corporate retreat.
“They have rented it in the past for private individuals. Whether it’s a family gathering or a company gathering, it would certainly work for both. There’s an indoor kitchen and an outdoor kitchen so if you were going to bring chefs over there, there’s plenty of space for them to prepare meals.”
Trembinski was asked how long he sees the property being up for sale.
“There absolutely will be a market for it. It’s just being able to put it in front of that particular person. For a business owner or someone who has the ability to buy such a place, it is priced very well for that type of person because if you were going to buy something similar to this in Muskoka it wouldn’t even be close to this price.”
While the Sault Ste. Marie Airport is not far away, Trembinski added “the island’s actually big enough that if a new owner wanted to put a helicopter pad on it, they could do it. It’s possible. I’m very confident that there’s a market for this type of place.”
The house is good for spring, summer and fall living but certainly could also be winterized, Trembinski said.
“The family had roots here for a long time, but they’re not from here originally. There are lots of places like that around here that have been owned by families that have roots here that have come up from Chicago originally, like in the Kensington Point area.”
While it remains to be seen how long the house and island will be up for sale, Trembinski said “someone’s going to land themselves an absolutely incredible piece of property in northern Ontario that is unrivalled across the entire Lake Huron, North Channel area. It’s quite the spot.”
Photos of the Picture Island property and detailed information as well as Trembinski's contact information can be found on a website exclusively devoted to the property or through Facebook.
