History

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.

Alcan chooses Montreal

1976

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.

David M. Culver

Born in Winnipeg and raised in Montreal, Mr. Culver studied at Selwyn House School and McGill University before earning his MBA at Harvard. This visionary was quick to see the advantages of keeping Alcan’s head office in Montreal and was among those who saw the unique qualities of the city as an advantage.

A time-tested vision

1983

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.

A symbol of commercial prowess

Under Mr. Culver’s leadership, Maison Alcan became an important symbol of Montreal’s business prowess. World leaders, politicians, businesspeople, media moguls and cultural stalwarts from around the world regularly visited the complex. Maison Alcan is also a place where the visual arts are not only celebrated and appreciated, but also preserved and showcased.

By drawing on the past to help shape the future, Culver —with the help of architect Ray Affleck—managed to maintain a fine balance between the past and the future, paying homage to history while allowing new trends to flourish.

Today

Photo historique prise dans la Maison Atholstan

2015

In 2015, Guy Laliberté (founder of Cirque du Soleil, the One Drop Foundation, and Lune Rouge) acquired the Complexe-de-la-Maison-Alcan. True to Mr. Culver’s original vision, Mr. Laliberté opted to offer the first floor of Maison Alcan to the citizens, make it, once again, one of the most important and dynamic cultural sites in Montreal.

2017

In February 2017, the Complexe-de-La-Maison-Alcan was classified as a heritage building by the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications. This official classification of Maison Alcan, a collection of buildings erected between 1872 and 1983, marked an important milestone in the history of built heritage conservation in Quebec.

2019

In January 2019, Canadian Heritage granted a contribution to Zú (a non-profit organization whose mission is to gather, help and promote creatives in the entertainment and technology sector for the purpose of generating innovative projects) to enable the organization to deploy a creative hub dedicated to cultural and creative industries for Quebec, in the heart of Maison Alcan.

2023

The completely renovated and refurbished Maison Alcan welcomes innovative companies and exciting initiatives from here and elsewhere. The famous atrium of the complex, originally built as a covered open space where visitors can roam freely, now serves its popular function once more by becoming accessible to the public, via Sherbrooke Street. A coffee shop and a varied programming are open to all!

Découvrir les espaces

Découvrir la programmation

Various facts

An architectural model

The original architect behind the Maison Alcan project was Ray Affleck, an award-winning innovator who came up with the idea of combining historic buildings to create a new complex. His model for modernizing heritage buildings, while preserving their historic features, has been widely replicated around the world.

The power of women

At the beginning of the 20th century, the upper-class women who lived in the various buildings of the complex were actively involved in charitable organizations. The first national feminist organization dedicated to French-speaking Canadian women, the Fédération nationale Saint-Jean-Baptiste, was founded in what is now Maison Alcan. These women were also responsible for the creation of what would become the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).

International Labour Organization

During the Second World War, the Beïque building housed the offices of the International Labour Organization. It was in this building that important draft laws, including those concerning child labor, were drawn up.

The genesis of Expo 67

In 1958, 125 politicians and entrepreneurs gathered at the Berkeley Hotel to discuss the potential for organizing a World's Fair in Montreal. Less than a decade later, Montreal hosted Expo 67, which was a phenomenal success.

Skilled negotiators

David Culver said that the process of acquiring buildings for Alcan's head office required a number of difficult negotiations. According to him, the toughest of these negotiators were the nuns who lived in one of the buildings.

The Iranian Consulate

In the late 1970s, Lord-Atholstan House was acquired for the purpose of being converted into an Iranian consulate. However, following the Iranian revolution and the exile of the Shah, plans for the consulate were ultimately abandoned.

From father to son

Guy Laliberté, founder of Cirque du Soleil, the One Drop Foundation and Lune Rouge, acquired the Complexe-de-la-Maison-Alcan in 2015. His father, Gaston Laliberté, had worked there as sales representative of a division of Alcan in the 1980s.