In 1852, Isaac Buchanan bought 54 acres of land on the Hamilton Mountain. The property stretched from the mountain brow to Fennel Ave. He built a summer cottage which eventually became Buchanan’s Manor House & Estate. The building was designed in the Georgian Domestic Gothic style and consisted of a ballroom, library, dining room, living room, a large farm-like kitchen, a full cellar and 12 other rooms.

The gardens had a Gate House, a Coach House, a Private Shed, stables, gazebo and a dovecote with an orchard and walled gardens. A treed Allee started at the escarpment and meandered its way bringing visitors to the manor. The estate was completed by 1855.