In the Season Six episode “Christmas in June”, Cecily is living at the Thornhill Sanatorium in New England. It was a place for people recovering from tuberculosis and she was sent there to regain her strength during her bout of illness.
While there, Cecily strikes up an unlikely friendship with Louie - a streetwise paperboy from Brooklyn. When Janet and Alec visit Cecily, they realize how strong the bond is between the two teenagers.
Though Louie tries to hide it, he is very sick. And so when Cecily tells her parents of her plan to bring Louie home to Avonlea for a visit during Christmas, they realize that they should bring Christmas to Louie instead. The result is a wonderful moment for the two friends, as everyone congregates outside the sanatorium.
The set of this episode was actually The Montrose Estate, a grand building in Belleville, Canada. In “Beyond Green Gables”, The Montrose Estate is described as a “magnificent classical home”. And the design of the home inspired Kevin Sullivan in both his productions and his own designing.
He took the diamond motif that is featured on the balcony of The Montrose Estate and incorporated the design into the verandah railings of The Pines - his Edwardian-style summer home located in the beautiful Muskoka lake region in Canada.
