It was with a pang of sadness that Hydro-Québec archaeologist Martin Perron saw the historic site of a 19th-century brothel.e century, discovered behind the Hydro-Québec headquarters in downtown Montreal, to be filled in to become a parking lot again.
Because yes, research carried out in the archives and analysis of the chain of title revealed that the impressive archaeological site unearthed last summer in the parking lot of the Crown corporation served several functions, including, most likely, that of being one of the first brothels in the Red Light sector that was to be born in what was then called the Faubourg Saint-Laurent.
Wealthy merchants
However, the archaeologist recounts in an interview with The Canadian Press, the site of the exceptionally rich building mainly bears witness to a much less colourful initial use: “Several rather well-known figures in the history of Montreal were owners and/or stayed in this building. We can think of the Mallard family, very large potash traders who acquired the land at the beginning of the 18th century.e century and, through marriages, the Beaudry family then arrived.
“The Beaudry and Mallard families are two very large merchant families known in Montreal in the 18e and 19e centuries. »
During this period, the building would probably have served as a potash processing and candle making workshop on the ground floor and, upstairs, these wealthy merchants would have lived there or offered this space for rent.
An heir with loose morals
All that changed when, after a fire, sometime between 1843 and 1845, François-Xavier Beaudry, son of the prosperous merchant Pierre Beaudry, had it rebuilt. However, it didn’t take long for this wealthy heir to make headlines for the wrong reasons, says Martin Perron: “This François-Xavier Beaudry, he is said to have somewhat unbridled and loose morals. We read in some newspaper articles that, in the second half of the 19the century, the building is inhabited by drunkards, prostitutes, people of rather loose morals, which also corresponds to an evolution of the Faubourg Saint-Laurent at the time which is quietly transforming into the Red Light that we know from the Faubourg Saint-Laurent and then from the rue Saint-Laurent.
“We are talking about a very lively area, where drugs, sex and alcohol prevailed and so the building had probably become a brothel before it was completely destroyed, around 1880-1885”, making way for a sawmill, remains of which were also found during the excavations.
Mysteries Solved
When this veritable treasure was presented in June 2023, several questions remained, including the origins of the owners who seemed wealthier than the other residents of the Faubourg – we now know that they were prosperous merchants – and the reasons for the reconstruction in the mid-19th century.e century, which is now attributed to the fire.
Another mystery hung over the presence of artifacts much older than the Mallard/Beaudry building, dating the former to the 18th century.e century, but the enigma was solved thanks to the chain of titles. The land in question, first granted in 1651, had been resold in 1754 to a farmer who had set up an orchard there. The concession deeds then mention a building on this lot, but they were most likely made of wood, so that shards of salt sandstone and earthenware were found there, but no trace of a building.
An inevitable backfill
At the time of presenting these discoveries, Hydro-Québec announced that the site would be developed to become a civic square integrated into the Quartier des spectacles that would bear witness to the archaeological history of the Faubourg Saint-Laurent. Why, in this case, fill it all in rather than show off its finest features to everyone?
“The only archaeological remains that are still visible are under the Pointe-à-Callières Museum and at the Marguerite-Bourgeoys Museum. They are pretty much the only ones in Montreal, apart from a few elements of the old walls of Montreal, in the Old Port,” explains the archaeologist. Highlighting the foundations of the building and its interior well, he adds, would involve “putting up glass panels to see the remains, but the surveillance required to counter vandalism is a lot of work, a lot of investment in time and resources.” The same goes for the exceptional artifacts discovered, which will necessarily have to be exhibited inside protected enclosed spaces, under surveillance.
“We decided to showcase it differently,” explains Martin Perron. “There will be interpretation panels installed on the site of the new citizen space where we will show photos of the excavations, old plans that show the existence of this building.” Greening of a section of what has become a parking lot again – temporary, we are told at Hydro-Québec – is also planned, but the plans have yet to be finalized.
“A little pang in the heart”
“It always gives me a little pang in the heart to see a site like that filled in,” admits the researcher, “but at the same time, I would tell you that 99% of cases are like that. It is very rare that we can, especially in an urban environment like Montreal, develop in situ. It would require a lot of urban gymnastics and exceptional resources.”
He points out, however, that a geotextile membrane has been installed to protect the site and that the backfilling aims to protect the remains: “If archaeologists in the future want to go back there, it will always be possible.”
Martin Perron is expecting the final report of the excavations in the coming days. Scientific publications and a conference at the annual congress of the Association des archéologues du Québec are planned, but the general public will be able to learn about the conclusions drawn from these magnificent finds at a public conference on September 18 at the Maison du développement durable, behind which the site is located.
As for the development of the citizen interpretation space, which will cover part of the archaeological site, we can expect it to take shape by summer 2025.