The house at 25 Maraval Road was the family home of Lucien R. Ambard. It was designed by a French architect in the French Baroque Colonial style. The marble used in its construction came from Italy, and the tiles from France.
John Newel Lewis describes this house as a "queen of architecture". He says the building is complicated, self-opinionated, and exudes pleasure and joie de vivre. Because of its domes an cupolas, it reminds one of a French chateau. "The roof caps a meandering building surrounded by high roof galleries."
The iron work involved in the structure is substantial. The elongated Renaissance style columns were made by an English firm. The firm was said to have used the iron work on the building in their sales brochures for many years.
Because of financial failure and the inability to meet his mortgage payments to Gordon Grant & Company, Ambard lost his house in 1919. It was subsequently sold to a Pointz Mackenzie, who also lost it in 1923 under circumstances similar to that of Ambard. Again the property fell back in the hands of Gordon Grant.
An American businessman, William Pelligrew, and his family rented the house from Gordon Grant and lived there until 1940. In that year, the house was sold to Mr. Timothy Roodal for $24,000. Dr. Yvonne Morgan, Roodal's grand-daughter, now lives there. The building has been named Roomor - an abbreviated version of the two family names - Roodal and Morgan.
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