If you could go back in time to 1865, you would see that at the very same place where the modern portion of the HOTEL10 is erected today was … a church. At the time, the Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity was mainly attended by the Montreal Greek community. It was unfortunately ravaged by fire in 1986 and served as a presbytery and an office building before being converted into a hotel in the early 2000s.
HOTEL10 today combines the Godin building and the modern portion (where the church used to be )
An article in Journal de Montreal dated January 17, 1986 states that “one of the most beautiful churches in the city fell prey to the flames yesterday and some irreplaceable works of art suffered terrible damage”. It also states “the church was an historic building located in downtown Montreal at 8, Sherbrooke Street West”. Since then, the legal address has been changed for 10 Sherbrooke West, hence the name HOTEL10.
A capture screen of Le Journal de Montreal story, dated from January 1986
In response to this tragedy, the government reportedly attempted to transform the old church, which had been left in tatters for almost a year, into an office building. The idea caused an uproar as many communities wanted the church to be rebuilt. Finally, the project for its conversion into a commercial building was approved by the city in 1987 but only if the original structure was preserved. Good news that still serve us today.
Clip from Le Journal de Montreal reporting the fire
The Godin building, next door to the ancient Holy Trinity Church, was built in 1915. Immediately after its construction, it became one of the first residential buildings in Canada inspired by Art Nouveau. The building is the achievement of architect Joseph-Arthur Godin. The original architectural concrete building, with pale colours, vaulted doors and arched windows and balconies with metal balustrades, perfectly fits the slope of the Boulevard Saint-Laurent. Its design recalls the French style of the early twentieth century. At the time, this building was said to have reinvented Montreal’s urban habitat, nothing less.
Let’s all remember that Les Colocs used to live there
The occupation for which Joseph-Arthur Godin originally intended the building for a house of report, as evidenced by an announcement in the Prix Courant. However, and still according to the archives, the building apparently remained vacant until 1919. Although it was designed for residential use, it would have served as a studio or office for several artists. It will also be remembered that at one point, it was Dédé Fortin and Les Colocs who resided there. Classified as an historic monument in 1990 by the Government of Quebec, the Joseph-Arthur-Godin building was the subject of a recycling project in the early 2000’s into … a hotel complex. The modern portion of HOTEL10 has been added in 2004 by architect Dan Hanganu.
HOTEL10 is proud of the heritage surrounding its building and its address, and we hope to continue to honour and share our discoveries with you.
