Citizen alert
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Published on : May 10 2021
Last modified on : January 21 2026
“Built in 1910 according to the plans of architect Eugène Payette, this building is best known for the curve in the design it forced on the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Soap manufacturer Joseph Barsalou first occupied the building until it was bought by Proctor and Gamble in 1935. Roméo Parent’s pharmaceutical company, Familex, then purchased the building in 1943. The company was then sold to Pierre Valcourt in 1983. The Valcourt family sold the building to the Cosoltec company in 2019.”
Source: Écomusée du fier monde
Usine Barsalou vers 1995
Source: Écomusée du fier monde
In October 2020, the chimney of this former factory, a witness to its industrial past, is covered with a banner from Cosoltec, the property owner, which obscures the original “Familex” wall advertisement.
In spring 2023, the developer submits a residential and commercial development project to the Ville-Marie Urban Planning Advisory Committee (CCU). The project, designed by Saucier + Perrotte Architects, proposes the renovation and expansion of the former Barsalou soap factory. The existing portion would accommodate residential units as well as artists’ studio spaces in the basement. A 65-metre tower comprising more than 200 housing units would be annexed to the former soap factory.
The project receives a favourable opinion from the CCU and obtains approval from the borough council, which grants the necessary permits for the work. The project is currently under development, but some residents remain concerned about the future of the factory and its intended use.
Area planning
The Ville-Marie borough held consultations as part of the development of its Special Planning Program (PPU) for the Faubourgs, which we see as an opportunity to enhance the neighbourhood’s rich industrial heritage, of which the former Barsalou factory is a part. The final PPU des Faubourgs document, tabled in June 2021, can be consulted here; it is also possible to consult an interactive map of the interventions proposed in the PPU. The plan notably includes the alignment of Logan Street, which would run alongside the building and allow access to the area west of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge.
Major fire
A major fire broke out during the night of January 20 to 21, 2026, in this vacant heritage building, resulting in a significant mobilisation of emergency services and the temporary closure of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge as a safety measure. Due to the risk of collapse, firefighters operated in a defensive manner, without access to the interior of the building. Built in 1910, the structure is recognized for its determining role in the curved alignment of the Jacques-Cartier Bridge. Vacant for several years, it had been the subject of recent discussions between the Ville-Marie borough and developers to consider a redevelopment project integrating the building into its urban environment, according to Dinu Bumbaru, policy director at Héritage Montréal. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Ville-Marie borough
Mechanisms for protection
Urban Development
Private: company
Demolition
Vandalism
Vacant
No upkeep
Lack of knowledge
Demand for land, speculation
Inappropriate/incompatible use
Eugène Payette, architect
Owner
Industrial
1910
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