This habitation on the banks of St. Lawrence is a resurrection of a fairy tale existence. A client of many years presented us with a burned-out hulk; four stone walls, some dilapidated barns, and a new highway bisecting an old estate with a charter going back to Louis IVX. The program was modern and realistic: a plan within the old stone walls reminiscent of the house he grew up in, a new kitchen, library and conservatory wings. The client expressed a desire for reconstituted barns to ward off the highway’s presence, and gardens, courtyards, fountains, and ponds where he could pursue his world-renowned horticultural interests. An interesting tribute to the client was the freedom he granted to our design efforts in spite of the inherent historical baggage. This project was a breath of new life into a historic treasure.
