A manor house rich in history | Press

(Waterloo) Long neglected flagship of Waterloo, in the Eastern Townships, the Manoir Maplewood has regained its nobility and has just been bought by an owner wishing to invest in heritage places, in order to restore economic boost to the towns and villages in which they are built.

Emmanuelle Mozayan-Verschaeve
Special collaboration

Founding mayor of Waterloo before becoming a deputy, then a senator, Asa Belknap Foster is considered a key figure in the region’s development. Nicknamed at the time “the king of the railways of Canada”, he built the Maplewood Manor in 1865. The building, perched on a hill and surrounded by majestic trees, is located a stone’s throw from the city center. “It is a place that is registered for the people here as an important place. Mr. Foster had made Waterloo a railway hub. It was his private residence and towards the end of the XIX^e century, it became a convent for 100 years ”, relates Louis Lespérance, the current owner.

From 1980 to 2010, the estate was not maintained and it was thanks to new buyers (a cabinetmaker and a designer), in 2012, that the property regained its splendor. “They have carried out exceptional restoration work for three years and have been able to enhance the heritage character. We were lucky to have this house transformed into a turnkey boutique hotel, ”says this 25-year-old lawyer, who also acquired with his family the Manoir Davis located in Sainte-Agathe-des-Monts, in the Laurentians. .

When the past serves the future

“Reinvesting in places that have a history, that are rooted in their community, is important to me,” says Louis Lespérance. We want to use them to turn them into economic vectors, by offering a unique experience to customers. “

He intends to pursue the hotel vocation of this exceptional residence, but by renting the entire building to groups of friends, families, and companies for special occasions. “The pandemic has caused people to work from home. We see the hybrid system appearing, half-house, half-office, and employers want to find corporate places like ours to create events with their employees because we need social links. Online meetings are not enough! We also want to organize weddings so that people who celebrate the most important day of their life have an extraordinary experience. ”

For now, the recent buyer does not have to worry about the occupation of his mansion, since the academicians of the reality TV Star Academy will stay there again in residence next winter for the second season of the show.

The house has a total of 16 rooms spread over the two upper levels. Each of them, like the common areas, has been renovated in order to retain as many old elements as possible, highlighted by discreet drapes and furniture. Available mainly in pale gray and white, these elements promote clarity and the feeling of well-being emanating from any room.

Outside, the gazebo invites you to romantic get-togethers; the basin hibernates until fine weather, when swimmers will storm it; the maple grove, where vegetables were once stored, also had an oven around which the villagers gathered to bake their bread in Mr. Foster’s time.

“It was a unifying place, the central vector of the city, and we want to find that,” underlines Louis Lespérance, whose current attention is mainly focused on the team. “I would like to do a big project there, perhaps a restaurant open to the public or available for unforgettable ceremonies, then possibly rooms overlooking an interior courtyard. You have to take the time to survey the market. Also, the expertise of the building will make it possible to know its condition, in particular that of its foundations, ”he explains, adding that if he has to demolish, he will remake a building in the same spirit, because the architecture is interesting. .

A question of responsibility

The lawyer is working on two other projects with the municipality at the same time and believes that it is necessary to succeed in creating ecosystems for a society to function. “I really want to get involved and we have to create a complete offer based on needs. There are a lot of historic houses here. Industries have been closed, there has been a decline in the population, but new businesses are emerging, people are coming to settle.

The young man also believes that we are all in search of our roots, that we learn where we come from through this kind of place that has marked history. For him, heritage places have an importance in the collective imagination. “We need new constructions, but we have to preserve the heritage, enhance it, because it is unique and gives the feeling that time has stood still. I did not realize before buying the house what it represented to the citizens. I have received comments from people in the community who have impressed me, explaining that they want the region to revitalize while respecting what it was before. ”

It is in this sense that Louis Lespérance hired the handyman of the estate, following a touching email in which he explained that he was offering his services to take care of the manor. . A mansion that has been part of his environment since birth and to which he is deeply attached. Like most of the inhabitants of Waterloo.