Maison Beaubien
8 St. Gabriel Street, Montreal, Quebec
Built in 1806, for Benjamin Trottier-Desrivières-Beaubien (1776-1834) and his new wife, Françoise-Geneviève Sabrevois de Bleury. This Palladian cut-stone house with its pediment and low-hipped roof was typical of both the period and the continent, though the sash windows were smaller than might have been seen elsewhere due to the cold Canadian winters. It overlooked the Champ de Mars and stood at the corner of St. Gabriel Street and Craig Street, next door to the David Ross House. It remained a private residence in the Beaubien family until 1874 when it became the Hôtel de France whose head chef, Victor Olivon, was reputed to be the best in the city....
This house is best associated with...
Beaubien graduated from Princeton University in 1796 where he was a classmate of the Virginian Judge Philip Clayton Pendleton among others. He was admitted to the Bar of Montreal in 1801 and five years later married the sister of another prominent French-Canadian lawyer, Clément-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury, also known for, "his charm, elegant manners, and refined style of living". During the War of 1812, Beaubien took up arms as a Captain with the Montreal Infantry. He became a lawyer of some repute and was beginning to make his mark in politics when he fell victim to the cholera epidemic.
His mansion on Saint-Gabriel Street was both his home and the office from which he ran his legal business. Among the clerks who articled for him was a young William Badgley (1801-1888), future Attorney-General and founder of the legal firm known today as Borden Ladner Gervais. For five years from 1823, Badgley lived and worked here, and "fending off Beaubien's creditors became a major role," particularly during the Depression of 1826.
All that Glitters...
On the face of it, Beaubien was a respected lawyer living in one of the finest houses in the city. His family had been leading players in the French fur trade since the 17th century and he included among his first cousins the two stepsons (and principal heirs) of James McGill. But, hidden behind this front of respectability his financial affairs were somewhat less honourable. When Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832, Beaubien was selected to be its first General Counsel. But, almost immediately after his appointment, "the city council launched an investigation into Beaubien's business practices and he resigned".
Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier
After Beaubien's premature death in 1834, he left his townhouse to his highly respectable son-in-law, Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier, who later became Commissioner of Crown Lands and Sheriff of Montreal. The Bouthillier family divided their time between here and Outre-Mont, their country home from which the present borough takes its name.
L'Hôtel de France & Chef Olivon
By 1874, Saint-Gabriel Street was long past being a fashionable enclave and the Bouthillier's townhouse now became superfluous to their needs. That year, they sold up and it became the Hôtel de France. Its restaurant quickly became a popular haunt for journalists and politicians, and its popularity was due in no small part to its excellent cuisine. In fact, the cuisine was so good that the head chef, Victor Olivon, was poached just four years later (1878) to run the kitchens in the newly completed Windsor Hotel - Canada's first 'grand' hotel. Its unclear for how long the restaurant survived without Olivon, but eventually it closed its doors and the house then filled various different roles over the proceeding years, including becoming one of the first art schools in Montreal.
Under The Bridge Downtown...
Although the classical detail on the Ross House was far superior to Beaubien's, that house was demolished without ceremony in 1952. Beaubien's on the other-hand was treated with far greater reverence when it was erased to make way for the new Court House in 1965. It was carefully dismantled stone-by-stone and each one was numbered before being removed to safe storage under a bridge in the east end. The hope was that one day a wealthy preservationist might wish to resurrect the former landmark... any takers?
His mansion on Saint-Gabriel Street was both his home and the office from which he ran his legal business. Among the clerks who articled for him was a young William Badgley (1801-1888), future Attorney-General and founder of the legal firm known today as Borden Ladner Gervais. For five years from 1823, Badgley lived and worked here, and "fending off Beaubien's creditors became a major role," particularly during the Depression of 1826.
All that Glitters...
On the face of it, Beaubien was a respected lawyer living in one of the finest houses in the city. His family had been leading players in the French fur trade since the 17th century and he included among his first cousins the two stepsons (and principal heirs) of James McGill. But, hidden behind this front of respectability his financial affairs were somewhat less honourable. When Montreal was incorporated as a city in 1832, Beaubien was selected to be its first General Counsel. But, almost immediately after his appointment, "the city council launched an investigation into Beaubien's business practices and he resigned".
Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier
After Beaubien's premature death in 1834, he left his townhouse to his highly respectable son-in-law, Louis-Tancrède Bouthillier, who later became Commissioner of Crown Lands and Sheriff of Montreal. The Bouthillier family divided their time between here and Outre-Mont, their country home from which the present borough takes its name.
L'Hôtel de France & Chef Olivon
By 1874, Saint-Gabriel Street was long past being a fashionable enclave and the Bouthillier's townhouse now became superfluous to their needs. That year, they sold up and it became the Hôtel de France. Its restaurant quickly became a popular haunt for journalists and politicians, and its popularity was due in no small part to its excellent cuisine. In fact, the cuisine was so good that the head chef, Victor Olivon, was poached just four years later (1878) to run the kitchens in the newly completed Windsor Hotel - Canada's first 'grand' hotel. Its unclear for how long the restaurant survived without Olivon, but eventually it closed its doors and the house then filled various different roles over the proceeding years, including becoming one of the first art schools in Montreal.
Under The Bridge Downtown...
Although the classical detail on the Ross House was far superior to Beaubien's, that house was demolished without ceremony in 1952. Beaubien's on the other-hand was treated with far greater reverence when it was erased to make way for the new Court House in 1965. It was carefully dismantled stone-by-stone and each one was numbered before being removed to safe storage under a bridge in the east end. The hope was that one day a wealthy preservationist might wish to resurrect the former landmark... any takers?
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Contributed by Mark Meredith on 28/06/2020 and last updated on 17/10/2021.
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