Montreal's
Golden Square Mile was the name of a once prestigious neighbourhood
that existed along the southern slopes of Mount Royal, roughly west
along Sherbrooke St. from the grounds of McGill University.
From
the late 19th century into the early 20th century, it was the domicile
of Canada's ultra rich movers and shakers. In fact, at the start of the
20th century, close to 70 per cent of Canada's total wealth was
controlled by residents of the Golden Square Mile.
Some of these
elite included shipping magnate, Sir Hugh Allan, brewer John Molson,
sugar baron John Redpath, the founder of McGill University, James
McGill, fur baron Simon McTavish, the man who oversaw the building of
the first transcontinental railway, Sir William Van Horne, and Sir
George Simpson, governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.
After the
Great Depression of the 1930s, the Golden Square Mile lost its sheen as
the residents dispersed to other areas of the city such as Westmount,
Outremont and the Town of Mount Royal. The golden age was over. But the
Golden Square Mile is getting back some of that lost glamour and sheen
with the luxurious, 12-storey Sir George Simpson condominium project,
at the northeast corner of Simpson and Sherbrooke.
The 31-unit
building is the cream of the crop in luxury apartment living in
Montreal, with an overwhelming Park Avenue-New York ambience and feel.
Its facade is elegant and classic and is reminiscent of the period of
the Golden Square Mile.
It's the kind of place where if you have
to ask the price then it's not the place for you. This slice of
'Manhattan in Montreal' is for the chosen few; those very few able and
willing enough to cough up a measly $6,750,000 for a massive 6,381 sq.
ft. apartment, with four bedrooms and five full bathrooms plus a powder
room. But for those who can, they are rewarded by being able to live
in the desired state of opulence, peace and security.
"This is
the most prestigious residential property in the city and this area is
the most prestigious for this type of client," explained
designer-builder Louis Lepine, vice-president of the real estate
development group,
Groupe Lepine. "These people want peace and quiet and maximum security," he explained.
"People
who move here come from a huge house and want to downsize while
retaining the opulence of their lifestyle. It is a time in their life
when they want to simplify their lives -after the kids move out of the
house," for example, he said. "A number of them also have a residence
in Florida or elsewhere, but this is their main residence, their home,
where they have their stability."
Inside the building it's all
marble. The lobby is made of Rosal Marble from Spain with fine carpets.
A doorman politely welcomes visitors or residents and is solicitous to
their every need.
The owner of the apartment can customize the
unit to their specifications. "Some clients want wood floors, others
marble. We can change the height of the ceiling and move the kitchen as
they wish," says Lepine. "It is unlimited and we have responded to 99
per cent of our clients' demands. We have adapted our building for our
clientele."
"This is where the rich meet the rich," explained
Cyrille Girard, the real estate agent for Sotheby's International
Realty Quebec, who is handling the sales. "It has a s-altwater pool,
like the Pom peii baths, an exercise room, steam room and massage
r-oom. We also have a recep tion hall for client events like f-amily
gatherings, or meet ings. People love the location, the quality of the
finishing and the look of the building. This is luxury at its best."
"The
building faces west and has fabulous natural lighting. Lots of bay
windows in the San Francisco style bring in the natural light and allow
for a greater view of the city and streets than ordinary windows,"
explained Girard. "-They are made of three lay ers of glass that cut
down on noise and vibration. Inside the apartment, the artificial
lighting is very soft, subtle and pleasant to the eye."
Acoustic
membranes installed under the floors were u-sed throughout the build
ing for soundproofing and superior acoustic insulation is used in the
walls. Sound and noise reduction was very important in its construction
and in fact, with busy Sherbrooke Street on the south side, you
wouldn't even know it was there because of the sound reduction
technology implemented.
All one has to do is look at the most
basic, though necessary, garbage disposal sys tem, to see the extremes
to which the builder raises the bar on progressive living. No more
tripping over the green boxes clogging the doorway! You make your
selection on a push-button panel for paper, glass or plastic, then put
the recyclables into the chute and push another button to send the
debris into its allotted con tainer in the basement.
The main air
cooling structure is centralized in the basement. Each residence has
its own individually controlled air cooling, thermal pump, plus
humidifier. A large residence could have one or two of the units,
depending on the square footage of the r-esidence. This means main
tenance visits are minimized and no noise, vibrations or view of the
mechanical equipment detracts from the ambience.
The units have heated floors for the kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms.
Eighty per cent of the project has been sold. "They hear from friends and through the grapevine," Girard says.
In
fact, says the developer, "I have only invested $190 in advertising for
this building; and that's for the two-foot-by-four-foot sign in front
of the building," (which shows the company name and sales office phone
number on it). "People who want this kind of property just know about
it. We really don't need to advertise."