435 and 456, rue Saint-Louis

On St-Louis Street, among newer structures, stands two examples of the residential housing of almost two centuries ago.  The first one dates back to 1828. The yellow Maison Joseph-Brossard presents an enclosed religious statue above the front door which sits immediately next to the sidewalk at 456 St-Louis Street.

The second example is a pink house, also visible from St-Antoine Street.  Located at 435 rue Saint-Louis, next to the Francois-Dollier-de-Casson Park, the Maison Brossard-Gauvin is a recognized historical building which was constructed outside of the fortified walls. The exact construction date is not confirmed but it was believed to have been built between 1743 and 1758.  At a time where the conditions to build inside the walls brought the cost up, a part of the population had to settle outside the walls . The Saint-Louis outskirt was very close to the walls. The fortified walls were dismantled in early 1800.

Following a few fires, houses within the fortified walls had to be built in stone which was expensive but this rule did not apply to housing outside the wall which is the case of this street. The Maison Brossard-Gauvin is a rare wood construction still standing in Montreal dating back to this time.

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