THE BIJOU APARTMENTS

The objective of the project is to transform the commercial building currently occupied by offices into a residential building by developing 12 dwellings with the addition of a partial 3rd floor and a terrace on the 2nd floor as well as an interior courtyard.
This building was originally designed in 1946 by architect Mr. Henri Sicotte Labelle and the engineering firm Brouillet & Carmel. The BIJOU cinema opened its doors on May 7, 1947, with local and international cinematographic works broadcast to Montreal citizens for over 30 years, before closing its doors in 1988.
After the closure of the “BIJOU” cinema, the building took on a commercial and institutional vocation. It will mainly be occupied by the Rose-Croix Cultural Center (AMORC) from 1992 until 2021.
The heritage building underwent a major restoration to accommodate a new function, this time residential, offering twelve housing units to the neighborhood with the challenge of preserving the original architectural components and rediscovering the architectural and cultural heritage of the former Bijou cinema.
The major operation aimed to remove the rendering on the facade to find the chamois-colored clay brick, reopen the lost openings and highlight the ground floor and its entrance.
Its conversion involved the addition of a third floor and the creation of an interior courtyard to let in natural light, plant in the open ground and fit out the bedrooms of the accommodation.
The project was made possible thanks to our collaboration with the developer Spacia construction, the consulting engineers L2C Experts and the permits department of the Plateau-Mont-Royal borough.