“Three more new homes going up on Sainte-Famille Street. Dust everywhere!”

The Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph administer Montréal’s Hôtel-Dieu for over 300 years. The sisters live and work here. It’s the large grey stone complex across the avenue.

Beginning in 1862, the Hospitallers turn to real estate development to finance their activities. They lay out the trajectory of Sainte-Famille Street, from the Hôtel-Dieu chapel to Sherbrooke Street. Then they begin selling building lots. The nuns keep an eye on the appearance of the buildings, intent on maintaining the value of their land. They even provide a model design. The house must have two storeys, a hewn stone façade, a fence, and trees in front.

Design and writing credits for historical panels: Pirogue in collaboration with BCK design