Maison Alcan (English: Alcan House) is a building complex located on
Sherbrooke Street in the
Golden Square Mile district of
Montreal
Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
, Canada. The complex was used to house the world headquarters for
Alcan, now part of
Rio Tinto Alcan, until 2015. Completed in 1983, the complex's integration of new construction with restored or renovated buildings marked a turning point in corporate Montreal's approach to development.
Maison Alcan combined restored Golden Square Mile properties —
Atholstan House, the Beique, the former Berkeley Hotel, the Holland House, as well as the
Salvation Army's Montreal Citadel on
Drummond Street — with a new aluminum-clad structure, known as the Davis Building. The Berkeley Hotel serves as the main entrance to the complex and its
atrium, on Sherbrooke Street.
According to the ''
La Presse'' newspaper, Maison Alcan marked the first time a major corporation based in Montreal had sought to preserve historic properties as part of a new headquarters. In contrast to the controversial demolition of the nearby
Van Horne Mansion, Maison Alcan preserved part of the architectural heritage of the Golden Square Mile.
Architects
Maison Alcan was designed by the Montreal-based architectural firm of Arcop (Architects in co-partnership), with
Ray Affleck as lead architect.
collaborated with
Peter Lanken on the interior planning and design.
Sale
In May 2011, it was reported that Rio Tinto Alcan was looking to sell Maison Alcan and move to new headquarters, due to the cost of renovating the building for a smaller workforce—and with the historic status of four of the seven buildings possibly complicating renovations.
The complex was listed by real estate brokers
Cushman & Wakefield, with a $30 million minimum bid.
In 2015, Alcan moved its HQ from the building and relocated to the
Deloitte Tower, which is located between
Windsor Station and the
Bell Centre.
In June 2016, Alcan sold the complex to Nacla General Partner Inc. for $48 million.
Reflector Entertainment have their multimedia studio located in the complex.
After plans to turn the location into condos
and build a 30-story office building
fell through, Maison Alcan was classified as a heritage immovable by the
Ministry of Culture and Communications on 23 February 2017.
References
External links
*
Arcop Associates Maison Alcan project records Canadian Centre for Architecture
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Alcan
Arcop buildings
Buildings and structures completed in 1983
Office buildings in Montreal
Downtown Montreal
Headquarters in Canada
Heritage buildings of Quebec
1983 establishments in Quebec