Photo essay: Restoration of the Dominique-Ducharme Building - 105 McGill Street

Have you noticed the large scaffolding along McGill Street in Old Montreal? The Dominique-Ducharme Building (formerly known as the Customs Building) has been undergoing restoration since early spring 2019. After a review of its history, you can find our photo report in the second part of the article!

History of the building

In 1910, the Canadian government acquired the land east of McGill Street between Place d'Youville and Marguerite-d'Youville Street in order to build a new customs building, the one on Place Royale having become too small. Between 1911 and 1914, the buildings on the lot were demolished. The land was then used by merchants to store grain and coal. Some of the buildings on the lot had been constructed in the 1840s, including the washhouse of the former Montreal General Hospital - once located next door.

The Customs Building is being built in two phases. The first phase, between 1912 and 1916, consists of the construction of the building occupying the south side of the island. Edgar Lewis Hardwood and David Ewart, architects for the Department of Public Works, assisted by Alfred Hector Lapierre, associate architect, designed the building. When it opened in 1915, the building was mainly used for storage of goods to be examined by customs inspectors. There are a few counters and offices, but not enough of them. Thus, as early as 1914, Hardwood was already preparing plans for the second wing of the building, which was to occupy the remaining part of the lot to the north. Unfortunately, the work, begun in 1919, was quickly interrupted and only resumed some fifteen years later. In the meantime, the land remained vacant. 

The second phase, between 1934 and 1936, saw the completion of the complex. Architects Thomas W. Fuller and Dalbé Viau designed the north wing based on Hardwood's plans to ensure the harmonization of the two wings. While they retained his vision for the exterior walls, they significantly adapted the plans for the interior of the building - as needs had changed over the last few decades. In particular, a skylight is integrated into the building to illuminate the interior lobby, which houses counters and offices. 

Architecture of the Customs Building 

While the building is composed of two distinct wings, the main façade, on McGill Street, gives the appearance of a monolithic and majestic building. Several elements are reminiscent of the Beaux-Arts style, including the horizontal aspect - characterized by an imposing base of grey Stanstead granite - and the string of columns surrounding the building, which are made of buff Nova Scotia sandstone. 

The choice of materials - Canadian - is not insignificant. Indeed, for many, the Customs Building is erected in honour of Canada. The building's location on the prestigious McGill Avenue, which at the time linked the Port of Montreal - Canada's gateway - to downtown Montreal, is also noteworthy. 

In 1977, a first renovation significantly modified the interior of the building. Warehouse and examination rooms were mostly converted into offices. On this occasion, the skylight was demolished.  

The restoration site

Carried out by St-Denis Thompson, the work is currently focused on the envelope of the southern part of the building, the northern part having undergone a previous restoration in order to be rehabilitated in 2021. "The facades have suffered significant deterioration in places, due to ageing, extreme exposure to the elements and previous repair campaigns using techniques that have since evolved," explains Fournier Gersovitz Moss Drolet - St-Gelais Montminy Architectes en consortium.
Here, craftsmen and construction workers carry out precision work. The aim is to restore the building to its original state, so that future generations can inherit a lasting structure that respects the aesthetic and structural qualities of the original.

We are surprised to see the size of the site and the impressive amount of work that needs to be done. In fact, we find all types of trades: masons, day labourers, tinsmiths, roofers, sealers, plumbers, electricians, painters, carpenters, glaziers, etc.

How do you restore such a stone envelope? Several techniques are used. First of all, the flipot. This block of stone is worked identically to the piece that was taken. It is then sealed with lime on the wall or column.

Each piece taken from the building has a "code", which appears on a plan of the building. So no mistakes and no panic! Each stone will be returned to its rightful place without a hitch. First inscribed in marker, the code is then engraved and attached to the stone on a medallion.

In addition to the flipot, one can also use a restoration mortar, which is shaped to imitate stone, inject into the crack, replace the stone entirely or re-point the mortar joints.

In order to replace stones that are too damaged, and to save time, a stone cutting workshop has been set up on site, in the heart of Montreal! Both types of stone, Wallace and Stanstead granite, come from Canada.

Stone cutting is a work of extreme precision. The grooves must be accurately reproduced so that they correspond to the column from which it was taken.

"Sometimes people say to us, 'But we can't see what you've done. That's the ultimate goal, our passage should be as inconspicuous as possible!" 

Stephan rivet, site manager for st denis-thompson

The construction site also consists of rebuilding what is called the back wall, which consists of nearly 300,000 bricks that will be replaced and which carry the building behind the grey stone.

"The repairs we carry out are very durable. There's obviously been a good evolution in techniques and and products, but over the years we're trying more and more to go back to more traditional products, we use epoxies* on a more occasional basis."

Not only is the construction site large, but it is also located in the heart of Old Montreal. The noise, the traffic, the people living near the construction site, all this does not facilitate the daily life of Stephan Rivet and his teams. But in a few months, the scaffolding will give way to a healthy building. Let's hope that Montrealers will also see it again.

*epoxys: Epoxy resin is a product composed of two ingredients to be mixed to obtain a hard and solid solution. It is an easy to work with and colorable product. Source.

All photos are by Vivien Gaumand, unless otherwise noted.

For more information, consult the Old Montréal inventory by clicking here.

Acknowledgements : John Diodati, Fournier Gersovitz Moss Drolet - St-Gelais Montminy Architects in consortium, Utilities and Supply Canada, Pierre-Hugues Mathieu, St-Denis Thompson and especially Stephan Rivet and Jonathan Mainville who welcomed us to the site.