Golden Square Mile in Montréal, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Maison Alcan
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2024
1. Maison Alcan Marker
La Maison Alcan
La Maison Alcan, siège mondial de la société Aluminium Alcan Ltée, est un complexe architectural formé de quatre bâtiments historiques reliés par un atrium de verre à un immeuble de bureaux de sept étages revêtu d'aluminium, connu sous le nom d'Immeuble Davis. En adoptant ce style, Alcan a affirmé une présence sociale sur la rue Sherbrooke tout en contribuant à la conservation et à l'embellissement d'une partie du patrimoine architectural de Montréal.
Typique du parti architectural d'une époque, en vogue sur le côté sud de la rue Sherbrooke dans le Mille carré, toutes les résidences intégrées à la Maison Alcan sont des maisons sises en rangée. La maison Atholstan est située à l'angle des rues Sherbrooke et Stanley. Construit en 1895, cet hôtel particulier d'un parement calcaire de style néo-classique fut conçu par Alexander Francis Dunlop pour Sir Hugh Graham (plus tard, Lord Atholstan), fondateur du journal The Montréal Star. Cette maison a été reconnue monument historique par le gouvernement du Québec en 1974.
De dimensions plus modestes, la maison Béique, à l'ouest, fut construite, en 1893, pour Frédéric Ligori (plus tard, sénateur) Béique. L'hôtel Berkeley, de brique rouge et de calcaire Tyndall, fut conçu par Lawson & Little en 1928. Une résidence attenante à l'hôtel, l'une des premières du Mille carré, fut érigée par William Tutin Thomas, en 1873, pour Mme Phillip Holland.
La Maison Alcan est un concept architectural Arcop Associates et achevée en 1983.
La rue Sherbrook
À la suite du prolongement de la rue Sherbrooke vers l'ouest, depuis la rue Aylmer jusqu'à Côte-des-Neiges, dans les années 1840, cette rue est devenue une élégante avenue bordée d'arbres, d'immeubles publics et de résidences privées, qui avaient été construites par des représentants des milieux financiers et de l'industrie au Canada. Elle traversait une magnifique étendue située entre le surplomb au-dessus de la rue Saint-Antoine et le bas des pentes du mont Royal, que nous sommes venus à reconnaître sous le vocable du « Mille carré ».
Le temps, les travaux de démolition et les constructions nouvelles ont considérablement modifié la rue Sherbrooke. Néanmoins, les immeubles qui ont survécu constituent un témoignage éloquent de son glorieux passé. Cette excursion à pied rend hommage à ce remarquable héritage architectural.
Maison Alcan
Maison Alcan, the world headquarters of Alcan Aluminium Ltd, is a complex of four historic structures linked by an glass atrium to a 7-storey aluminum-clad office structure known as the Davis Building, In commissioning this design, Alcan established its corporate presence on Sherbrooke Street, while preserving and enhancing a part of Montreal's architectural heritage.
Typical of the development on the south side of Sherbrooke Street in the Square Mile, all of the residences integrated into Maison Alcan are row houses. At the corner of Sherbrooke and Stanley streets is the Atholstan house. Built in 1895, this neo-classical limestone mansion was designed by Alexander Francis Dunlop for Sir Hugh Graham (later Lord Atholstan) founder of The Montreal Star. It was recognized as an historic monument by the Government of Quebec in 1974.
More modest in scale, the Béique house to its west was built in 1893 for Frederic-Ligori (later Senator) Béique. The red brick and Tyndall limestone Berkeley Hotel was designed by Lawson & Little in 1928. Adjoining it is an early Square Mile residence, designed by William Tutin Thomas in 1873 for Mrs. Phillip Holland.
Maison Alcan was designed by Arcop Associates and was completed in 1983.
Sherbrooke Street
After its extension west from Aylmer Street to Cote-des-Neiges in the 1840s, Sherbrooke Street grew into an elegant tree-lined avenue of public buildings and private residences, built by many of the central figures in Canada's industrial and financial development. It bisected the splendid area from the escarpment above Saint Antoine Street to the slopes of Mount Royal that became known as the Square Mile.
Time, demolition and new construction have changed Sherbrooke Street considerably, but the buildings which have survived bear eloquent testimony to its glorious past. This walking tour celebrates a remarkable legacy.
© Fondation Héritage Montréal, 1992.
Erected 1992
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Roads & Vehicles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1983.
Location. 45° 30.043′ N, 73° 34.646′ W. Marker is in Montréal, Québec. It is in Golden Square Mile. It is on Rue Sherbrooke Ouest (Québec Route 138) just north of Drummond Street, on the right when traveling north. The marker is mounted at eye-level on the front facade of the subject building. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1188 Rue Sherbrooke Ouest, Montréal QC H3A 1H6, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Central Canada. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Maison Louis-Joseph Forget (within shouting distance of this marker);
Hallward family collection, Mc Cord Museum of Canadian History, Notman Photographic Archives
2. Marker detail: Atholstan House
c. 1911
c. 1911
La Maison Atholstan, vers 1911
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. La Rue Sherbrooke / Sherbrooke Street
Also see . . . Maison Alcan History.
Excerpt: Each building within the Maison Alcan complex is steeped in its own history and tells the story of a specific place, era or time. Located in Montreal, in the heart of the Golden Square Mile, Maison Alcan is one of the most important and iconic heritage sites in the country, acting as a symbol of Quebec's resilience against the migration of businesses to the rest of Canada at a pivotal moment in the country's history.(Submitted on April 22, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)Following the election of the Parti Québécois in 1976, many national companies relocated their head offices to Toronto. The political uncertainty of the period led to financial insecurity and ultimately the migration of many of the largest companies who had been headquartered in Montreal. Mining and aluminum giant, Alcan, resisted a campaign to move its headquarters from Montreal to Toronto, thanks in large part to the passion and determination of Alcan’s dedicated CEO at the time, Mr. David Culver.
Mr. Culver’s vision of acquiring several historic buildings on Sherbrooke Street in Montreal’s Golden Square Mile district, and transforming them into a complex to be known as Maison Alcan was fulfilled in 1983. The Maison Alcan Complex includes the iconic Lord-Atholstan House, the Beïque House, the former Berkeley Hotel, the Holland House and the Salvation Army Citadel.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 22, 2024
3. Maison Alcan Marker
The marker is mounted on the front facade of the former Berkeley Hotel.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024
4. Maison Alcan (L'Hôtel Berkeley)
Alcan house (former Berkeley Hotel)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024
5. Maison Alcan (L'Hôtel Berkeley) et résidence Holland
Alcan house (former Berkeley Hotel) and Holland residence
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2024
6. Maison Atholstan, maison Bëique et maison Alcan (L'Hôtel Berkeley)
Atholstan house, Bëique house and Alcan house (former Berkeley Hotel)
Credits. This page was last revised on April 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on April 21, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 311 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on April 22, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
