The former home of Laurentian University's presidents is now an Airbnb property

What once served as the home of Laurentian University's presidents is now a rental property – with a mix of long-term tenants and Airbnb rooms – which its new owner has dubbed Laurentian Manor.

Nicholas Bonderoff purchased the six-bedroom home at the edge of downtown Sudbury in May after Laurentian put it on the market due to the school's insolvency. 

Ralph Parker, who was superintendent of the Frood Mine in Sudbury, had the Spanish colonial house built in 1930.

He later sold it to lumber baron Ben Merwin, and Laurentian purchased the home in 1966. At that point it became the official residence of successive presidents at the university.

The house's large living room became a hub for social events where the university would wine and dine various dignitaries visiting the city.

When Bonderoff bought the home, for $925,000, he was still a relative newcomer to Sudbury.

"I knew nothing of the history or that this house even existed for that matter," he says.

But when he saw an open house advertised for the property, he decided to check it out.

"I kind of thought that there's a potential around this house for doing something like renting rooms in a unique space, kind of like some of the bed and breakfast places that some cities have," Bonderoff said.

He moved into the house himself, and now has a few long-term tenants. He rents out the remaining rooms on Airbnb. 

Bonderoff says the house has posed a lot of challenges since he bought it.

It was a struggle just to get financing to purchase it in the first place.

"Regular banks were not so inclined to provide financing for this house for a long list of reasons, including that they didn't actually believe I would live here," he said.

He did find a private lender, but the deal almost fell through at the eleventh hour because it turned out the federal government had a lien on the property.