The LeMarchand Mansion was built in 1911 by Rene LeMarchand. He came to Canada from Paris with money raised by selling razors that his eccentric employer would only use once. He would sterilize them and then resell them. As a butler he had friends in the waiters union in Paris that helped hem raide money so he could come to Canada.
Upon arriving in Edmonton he established a general goods store and invested in the real estate market.
He decided that he would build an apartment that would attract elite tenants.The suites included fireplaces, stained glass, marble flooring and oak paneling.
It cost $150,000 to build. In 1977 it underwent a $4.5 million renovation. Today it is on the historic registries list and is home to several offices and a couple of restaurants and a few boutiques.
It sits overlooking the river valley and next to a very nice park and walkway
Great history lesson and nice shot! I like the vintage feel of the sepia. It really matches the character of the building. And what a difference. The architecture of LeMarchand's building compared to the modern one next to it is like night and day.
What a beautiful POV, Brian. Love the history here..wouldn't it have been wonderful to live in such a beautiful apartment back then. They absolutely do not build them like this today and probably never will.
@karenann Sometimes I think I would love to be able to travel back in time to see things th way they once were. I will have to inside here some day as the interior is still quite nice with some of the original fixtures still in use
@shanne He certainly was that. I am thinking it would have been interesting to have lived back then to see how some of these people built and developed the cities they lived in
