The owner’s tour | A bubble from the past

Owners open the doors of their exceptional homes to us, offered on the resale market.

The loft imagination is often accompanied by ideas of grandeur, high ceilings and vast spaces. But you can also feel like you’re in a bubble, outside of time, in a place that’s nevertheless rich in history. This is the feeling that inhabits the owners of this loft in the Saint-Henri district of Montreal.

It is rare that the viewing of a property begins in the basement. But for Jonathan Robert and Denis Gratton, that’s sort of where the piece de resistance lies. In any case, this is where the magic of the design and architecture firm CARTA worked most strikingly. From a large raw room, on a concrete floor with brick columns, the space has become an inviting bedroom, lined with a small wardrobe room and a bathroom. With the lights dimmed and the rubble foundation walls exposed, it feels like a cave sheltered from danger. “I always have the impression when I go down to my room that there is nothing that can reach me. We are hidden, protected,” underlines Jonathan Robert. For someone whose work brings them into contact with a large number of people every day, finding refuge in this space is a healthy way to cut themselves off from the world. “When we leave, I fear that this will be one of the things that I will miss,” he said. When I come down here, everything is fine. »

If the bedroom in the basement has the effect of keeping certain potential buyers away, it nevertheless allows the occupants to benefit from a closed space, away from the rest of the accommodation where the loft spirit predominates.

It was this spirit that the couple lacked when they decided to sell the house they had renovated in the Pointe-Saint-Charles district to move into this apartment with their dog Bertrand, at the start of the pandemic. Before that, Jonathan and Denis had lived for 10 years in a loft whose volumes and industrial aspect they appreciated.

Even rarer, a loft with a courtyard and an independent entrance, a criterion that has become important for these dog owners. “It’s a bit like a townhouse-loft,” summarizes Mr. Robert. With the Lachine Canal as your backyard. “With the dog, I’m on the channel three, four times a day,” says Denis Gratton. It’s such a beautiful environment. »

However, we cannot ignore the railway which runs alongside the building. Train crossings are frequent, day and night. But not to the point of disturbing the occupants’ sleep, assure the owners who were themselves concerned by this proximity to the train at the time of their purchase. Inside, when the windows are closed, the noise is surprisingly muted. “It’s certain that in summer, on the terrace, the train is there. Often, we had friends over and when the train passed, we would say: “take two or three minutes to take your messages and we’ll get back to it later!” », says Mr. Robert. Her partner describes the railway as a rather “good neighbor which gives us lots of space and a clear view of the canal”.

An old tannery

Established on Saint-Ambroise Street, near the Lachine Canal, the co-ownership is located in the former Moseley tannery, the first industrial tannery in Saint-Henri. Opened in 1859, it specialized in the production of patent leather for shoes and harnesses. Destroyed by fire then rebuilt in 1900, the tannery closed in 1909 and several companies successively occupied the building thereafter. Ammunition for the First World War was even manufactured there. The building was finally converted into residential lofts in 2004. Le Clos Saint-Ambroise has 29 units in divided co-ownership.

The history of the building is visible everywhere in the loft: from the brick walls to the beams, pipes and exposed ventilation, 3.7 meter high ceilings, including the rubble wall in the basement which requires minimal maintenance .

Before moving in, Jonathan Robert and Denis Gratton commissioned CARTA to completely redesign the interior of the apartment, with the exception of the kitchen. In the large main living area, small modular islands have been created to accommodate different zones: a vestibule, a living room, a dining room, an office and a guest bedroom if necessary which can be isolated from the rest at using an acoustic curtain. Between the dining room and the office stands a bookcase on wheels which acts as a partition, but which can be moved to the back of the room if necessary to harmonize with the other bookcase.

At the dawn of retirement for one of them, they decided to leave the city to benefit from better financial flexibility. “We are going back to a house,” says Mr. Robert. I’m going to use the word mourning. It’s a certain mourning, because I said how much we love lofts and we are returning to a white box. But it’s a wise decision. »

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