Offer has been made on former media baron Conrad Black’s Toronto mansion

TORONTO – The auction house managing the sale of Conrad Black’s mansion in Toronto says an offer has been made on the home.

Concierge Auctions said Wednesday it was working on a sale agreement for the former media baron’s 23,000 square-foot property in the tony Bridle Path neighbourhood.

“We received multiple pre-auction offers in advance of the scheduled auction, and are in the process of finalizing a contract,” a spokeswoman said in an email.

The New York-based auction house did not provide any other details about the potential sale.

On its website, it had pegged the estimated value of the estate, located in north Toronto, at $21.8 million.

The property, which sits on a 6.6-acre (2.7 hectare) lot with mature Magnolia and Willow trees, boasts nine bedrooms, 11 bathrooms and two two-storey libraries.

It has a separate caretaker suite, a converted coach house guest apartment, an indoor swimming pool, a billiards room and a chapel.

The home has entertained many high-profile guests, including Margaret Thatcher, Richard Nixon, Elton John and Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh.

It was first built by Black’s father, George Montegu Black, and has been in the family for 65 years.

The online listing notes the home was built by famed architect Thierry W. Despont, whose clients include Bill Gates, Calvin Klein and the late Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos.

In a statement last month, Black had said he and his wife will be moving to a more “manageable home.”

“It is a big house for two people,” he said at the time.

Black served 37 months in a U.S. prison for wire fraud and obstruction of justice following convictions in 2007 related to when he was head of Hollinger Inc.

The sale of 26 Park Lane Circle is also being managed by Re/Max Realtron Realty Inc. agent Barry Cohen. Calls Cohen were not returned Wednesday.

The Bridle Path neighbourhood is known as Millionaire’s Row and is home to some of the most expensive real estate in the country.