The owner’s tour | Bird house on the edge of the water

It was by spreading its wings that this house landed at the water’s edge, in Sorel-Tracy, 60 years ago. If we say it, it’s not to look pretty. The architect Félix Racicot was truly inspired by a bird in flight when he designed this property for the Quebec Minister of Transport in 1962.

These data can be found in the Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec. The Gérard-Cournoyer house, which bears the name of its first owner, figures prominently there because of its architectural and historical qualities. The single-storey property with a mid-century character is advantageously located on the banks of the Richelieu River, and neighbors the Les Dunes de Sorel-Tracy golf course. It has undergone many renovations over the past five years, including the replacement of 57 windows, the roof, the kitchen, 2 bathrooms and the plumbing.

It is by walking along Chemin Saint-Roch that you reach this 8,000 sq.^⁠2, which takes its ease on a field almost 10 times larger. Despite its imposing dimensions, it is easy to walk past this property without seeing it. Set back and below the road, it is surrounded by mature trees that contribute to its privacy. A private semi-circular driveway facilitates access and exit.

Won right from the start

The exterior cladding of the house, in wood and field stone, is original. You enter the house through a spectacular entrance: a fully glazed double leaf door, covered with wrought iron work. We assume that it has a function that is both safe and artistic, but it is this last aspect that seduces us.

Once past the vestibule, the same type of doors open into a large hall which overlooks the living rooms and the river. Well, here we are, conquered. This is what happened to the current owner, Martin Hébert, real estate broker by trade.

While he was looking for a house in Brossard or Saint-Lambert last winter, Mr. Hébert says he came across this property in Sorel, which had just been posted on Centris. “She intrigued me, I came to visit her, and I fell in love when I entered. It’s not the first time that this has happened to me”, points out with a touch of humor this lover of art and houses.

body and wings

To describe this house, which is presented as a two-family, we will simply go there. The body that advances towards the river brings together the living rooms. The left wing houses the bedrooms and their bathrooms, as well as a turret which apparently served as the minister’s communications centre. In the right wing are the double garage, the laundry room, large storage spaces and rooms whose use is currently more or less defined. It’s so big! Not to mention that the concrete basement provides additional space.

This property has had only four owners since its construction. When Mr. Cournoyer died in 1973, it was the son of the architect Racicot who bought it. The property was only sold in 2017, to a couple who thought they would stay there for a long time, and who did a lot of renovations. Health problems, however, prompted the couple to sell last spring. Mr. Hébert was considering settling there for at least five years, he says, but he couldn’t resist when his childhood home in Brossard came up on the market. He bought it!