Leonard Cohen's childhood home up for sale
5-bedroom property is in Montreal's wealthy Westmount neighbourhood
Last Updated: Sunday, May 30, 2010 | 3:41 PM ET
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Marcel and Mary Guay outside their Montreal house, which was also the house where singer composer Leonard Cohen grew up. They are selling for $1.4 million. (Ryan Remiorz/Canadian Press) Some lucky person may be exclaiming "hallelujah" once they purchase the Montreal childhood home of singer and poet Leonard Cohen.
Cohen, whose acclaimed songs include Hallelujah, Suzanne and Bird on the Wire, grew up in the semi-detached, Victorian house, which backs onto a park in the tony Westmount section of the city and offers a sweeping view of the skyline.
For $1,395,000, that view can be yours.
Owners Marcel and Mary Guay are putting the five-bedroom house on the block now that all of their children have moved out.
"Some of [his] early poetry and some of his early writings were done right here, so the area, presumably, inspired him in some way or another," notes Marcel Guay, who bought the property five years ago.
The Guays say many fans drop by, especially on weekends, posing for photos in the front yard of the 85-year-old property.
"We've had people knock on the door and ask to confirm in fact if it was Leonard Cohen's house, and have asked us if they could have a peek inside," says Marcel.
"It's a museum for them, they come by to see Leonard Cohen's old digs."
The Guays admit since the house has been put up for sale in February, they've been duped by fans posing as potential buyers.
One American couple said they were planning to move their shipping business from New York to Montreal and during their tour around the home, they took photos. The Guays' realtor later discovered the pair had posted the shots in a chat room on Cohen's website.
The 75-year-old poet is believed to have lived in the Belmont Avenue residence until the mid-1950s.
Cohen's mother remained behind and, following her death, the family sold the property in 1997.
With files from The Canadian PressShare Tools
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