Description of Historic Place

The Warehouse and Office, also known as Building 1 and the Store-Office-Warehouse, is a two-storey concrete building topped by a slightly pitched gable roof. Concrete pilasters define eight bays on the side elevations and a cornice encircles the four facades. Metal multi-pane windows pierce each bay on the ground floor, and on the second storey of each long elevation. The building is found in an industrial zone of Montreal, to the south and at the eastern most extremity of the Lachine Canal National Historic Site of Canada. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Warehouse and Office is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value
The Warehouse and Office is associated with the important role played by the Lachine Canal in the development of Canada, both industrially and commercially. The Warehouse and Office is also associated with the rapidly expanding city of Montreal and the urbanization of the banks of the canal during the second half of the 19th century, when the Lachine Canal served as the principle industrial artery.

Architectural value
The Warehouse and Office is valued for its very good, highly utilitarian industrial aesthetic design. Of note is the building’s volume, the rhythm of the façades and their window openings. To break-up an otherwise monolithic appearance, pilasters define the bays on each of the elevations, and add to the overall appearance of the building. Its very good, simple functional design is based on peripheral horizontal and vertical circulation through an overhead hoist, and large multi-pane windows, which together provide a great deal of light and air circulation through the large open interior space. Good craftsmanship and materials are evident in the concrete shell with reinforced steel framework.

Environmental value
The Warehouse and Office reinforces the utilitarian character of this industrial zone of the Lachine Canal, and is familiar to the local neighbourhood.

Sources: Gilles Proulx, Jean Belisle in collaboration with Christine Chartre, The Workshops of the Lachine Canal, Federal Heritage Buildings Report 90-018 to 90-023; Warehouse and Office #1, Lachine Canal N.H.S., Montreal, QC, Heritage Character Statement 90-021.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Warehouse and Office should be respected.

Its utilitarian, industrial aesthetic, functional plan, and the good quality materials and competent craftsmanship, for example: its utilitarian massing and regular rhythm of the façades, defined by eight bays on the side elevations and three bays on the gable walls; its bays on the long sides that are pierced by a window on the ground and second floors; simple attributes, which enhance the exterior appearance including pilasters with plinth and unadorned capital, the cornice and the parging covering the concrete; its sturdy concrete shell and reinforced steel framework; its concrete purlin form supported on “I” beams for roof structure; its concrete columns that support the floor of the second storey as well as the roof; its peripheral horizontal and vertical circulation through an overhead hoist; its metal multi-pane windows equipped with a central pivoting section; its open, well-lit interior.

The manner in which the building reinforces the utilitarian character of this industrial setting and is a local landmark, for example: its materials and scale, which are in keeping with the other workshop buildings from the same era; its location in an industrial zone of the Lachine Canal.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

Building No. 1 was constructed in 1925 according to plans probably prepared by an engineer from the Department of Railways and Canals. A concrete extension with an imposing chimney seems to have been erected on the southern facade during the same period. Building No. 1 was designed to serve as a warehouse and office and, in 1951, an office was installed therein for the maintenance superintendent. In 1956, the office space was moved to the second floor. Today, the building still serves the same functions. The Department of Canadian Heritage is the custodian department. See FHBRO Building Report 90-21.

Reasons for Designation

Building No. 1 was designated Recognized for its architectural and environmental significance. This building, like the Machine Shop located nearby, evokes the period of urbanization on the shores of the Lachine Canal and attests to the important role played by the canal in the economic development of Canada.

The building’s architectural interest resides in its aesthetic and functional design. Its industrial architecture uses a simple but effective vocabulary which relies on a skilful combination of concrete and steel. The distribution of the openings and the configuration of the interior space reflect the highly utilitarian nature of this design. In addition, a comparative study of the construction techniques used for the Machine Shop and the Warehouse illustrate the technological advances in the use of concrete between 1909 and 1925.

Building No. 1 and the adjacent buildings form a coherent whole which constitutes a cultural landscape and merits preservation.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage value of the building resides in the type of construction, its volume, the rhythm of the facades and their window openings, as well as its central location in the first industrial area of the Lachine Canal.
This structure can be described as a concrete shell reinforced by a steel framework. Concrete, in the form of purlins supported on “I” beams, is even used for the roof structure. On the inside, the concrete columns support the floor of the second storey as well as the roof. This system, in which the envelope and the structure are integrated, is a good example of the use of concrete in an industrial architecture context and merits conservation.

In order to break up this volume, which otherwise would have had a monolithic appearance, the designer chose to use pilasters which define eight bays on the side elevations and three on the gable walls. Aside from a few exceptions due to subsequent modifications, each of the bays on the long sides is pierced by a window on the ground floor and another on the second storey. The original entrances are located on the north gable wall. The rhythm of the facades is therefore created by the arrangement of the many openings framed by pilasters. If the current functions of the building permit, it would be desirable to restore the original composition by reintroducing the openings that were blocked up over time.
Noteworthy characteristic features of the building facades include the metal windows, the pilasters, the cornice and the parging covering the concrete. The multi-pane windows are equipped with a central pivoting section. They are typical of industrial architecture and help to provide light and adequate ventilation of the interior spaces. Each pilaster rests on a small plinth and is crowned by an unadorned capital. A cornice connects these capitals to each other while circling the four facades. All these elements are part of the architectural vocabulary of the Warehouse and must be preserved and maintained. If the windows damaged by corrosion cannot be repaired, replacement by identical units is the recommended approach. Regular maintenance of the concrete and repair of the parging covering it should ensure the survival of the envelope.

The functional design of the building is very simple and is based on a peripheral horizontal and vertical circulation through an overhead hoist. In order to preserve the original configuration of the building, it is not recommended to subdivide the large spaces typical of this type of building.

The site on which Building No. 1 is located still has an industrial character today despite various changes, the most important of which is the construction of the nearby Bonaventure highway. It is important that no effort be made to change this environment. The functional aspect of the site must continue to be evident in order to highlight the original function of the building.