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Maison Alcan

1188 Sherbrooke Street West

Update On February 23, 2017, in the presence of the Mayor of Montreal, Denis Coderre, the founder of Lune Rouge, Guy Laliberté, the Policy Director of Heritage Montreal, Dinu Bumbaru, and the President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Metropolitan Montreal, Michel Leblanc, the Minister of Culture and Communications of Québec, Luc Fortin, announced the signing of the notice of classification of the Maison Alcan complex.   Heritage Montreal celebrates the positive outcome of this dossier. You will recall that back in summer 2015, an urban densification project of this innovative architectural ensemble was announced. The proposal presented was in direct contradiction to the exemplary vision of the late business leader David Culver—then President of Alcan—both in terms of his view of heritage and this complex of buildings along a section of Sherbrooke Street. In order to preserve the integrity of this gem of Montreal heritage, Heritage Montreal formulated a request for classification submitted to Hélène David, then Minister of Culture and Communications of Quebec, who, on November 5, 2015, responded positively by issuing a notice of intent to classify Maison Alcan. The definitive decision on its status was supposed to be rendered within one year, following a series of consultations and an opinion from the Conseil du patrimoine culturel du Québec.   On the basis of an exemplary consultation process between promoters, government, the Chamber of Commerce and Heritage Montreal, we hope will serve as a model for the years to come, recognition of the national value of Maison Alcan shows that economic forces can indeed play a role in Montreal’s renaissance and strike a healthy balance between heritage and development.  

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Sent on October 07 2015

Last Modification March 28 2017

By Heritage Montreal

Ten years after the demolition of the Van Horne Mansion in 1973, the building of Maison Alcan testified to a change in mentalities in Montreal real-estate development. The project, designed by the firm Arcop under the direction of architect Raymond Affleck, articulated the desire of Alcan’s chairman and CEO at the time, a Montrealer named David Culver, to conserve and restore the built heritage of Rue Sherbrooke. Maison Alcan incorporated a new structure (the Davis Building) and other contemporary designs into an exceptional heritage complex made up of Victorian buildings of the Golden Square Mile: the Klinkhoff, Holland, Béïque and Atholstan houses, plus the former Berkeley Hotel.

 

Maison Alcan is an innovative complex, not least because it includes interior public spaces beneath an atrium that highlights the rear of the buildings that front Rue Sherbrooke. The design powerfully embodies a spirit of walkability and harmonious co-existence of new and existing constructions. That concern for integration contrasted sharply with the then-popular trend of retaining only the façades of heritage buildings, and provided an inspiring example for developers in Montreal and across the country. To ensure harmony of scale, the height of the Davis Building was intentionally limited to six storeys.

 

A plan to densify the Maison Alcan complex was suddenly announced in the summer of 2015. Within the block slated for expansion are the Winter Club of Montreal / HMCS Donnacona, a building that dates from 1914, and the former Emmanuel Congregational Church, completed in 1906 and which until very recently belonged to the Salvation Army. The plan calls for the Winter Club / HMCS Donnacona to be demolished, except for its façade, to make way for a 30-storey office tower. The existing atrium would also be modified. This project, as announced, is at odds with Messrs. Culver’s and Affleck’s avant-garde vision of heritage conservation and their commitment to protecting this entire section of Rue Sherbrooke in particular, which was integral to the architectural plan.

  • Municipality or borough

    Ville-Marie

  • Issues

    Mechanisms for protection

    Urban Development

    Urban landscape

  • Owner(s)

    Private; company

  • Threat(s)

    Inappropriate/incompatible use

    Demolition

    Demand for land, speculation

  • Conception

    Arcop Associates (Raymond T. Affleck, partner in charge)

  • Manager(s)

    Various

  • Categorie(s)

    Commercial

    Religious

    Sports

  • Construction year

    1982-83

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