heritage buildings

City to sell Maison Pollack after investing $4 million

City to sell Maison Pollack after investing $4 million

Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

peterblack@qctonline.com

The “For Sale” sign has not been posted yet, but the city is preparing to rid itself of the distinctive Maison Pollack mansion on Grande Allée.

The subject of a long dispute between the previous city administration and the building’s former owner, Maison Pollack was famous for its towering columns and its one-time owner, retail entrepreneur and philanthropist Maurice Pollack.

The city bought the property at 1 Grande Allée Est in 2021 for $1.15 million with the intention of transforming it into a “Maison de la Diversité” for diversity-focused cultural programming.

A further $2.5 million was poured into preserving and renovating the structure, originally built in 1910 for merchant James McCarthy. The badly rotting columns on the portico and balcony were removed in the expectation they would eventually be replaced as part of the restoration plan.

Further work was put on hold once the initial repairs were completed in the spring.

Although Mayor Bruno Marchand had indicated a year ago he was not interested in converting Maison Pollack into a cultural hub and that it could be sold, it was only last week that city officials confirmed the property is considered “surplus.”

At hearings into last week’s city budget, Carl Desharnais, deputy director of sustainable infrastructure, said the objective is to put it up for sale in 2025. “The city wants to sell the building, but wants to allow for an improvement that will maintain the features of the current building,” he said.

Maurice Pollack and family lived in the house from 1930 until 1948. Pollack subsequently sold it to the federal government for use by a Royal Canadian Mounted Police detachment. The building’s three-storey interior was transformed into offices. The RCMP moved out in the 1970s and the building became a rooming house.