GILLETTE LOFTS

Built in 1911 by the Gillette Safety Razor Company, The Gillette Building was originally constructed as the company s primary warehouse facility and office location north of the American border. The main purpose being to solidify Gillette s position in the Canadian market. Located, minutes from the once industrially active old port, on St. Alexandre Street in an area that, at the time, was referred to as Paper Hill, the Gillette Building quickly became a cornerstone in Montreal s growing industrial community. As the building was designed to provide more space than Gillette required, this specific location was chosen so that warehousing services could be offered to the printing and textile industries already thriving in the area. 

Designed as 5 story concrete structure intended to house large amounts of freight and other industrial loads, the Gillette Building possesses architectural attributes not commonly found in similar buildings. With expansive interiors supported by impressive fluted columns and having four fully windowed facades allowing for immense amounts of natural light, it is clear that in addition to the functional requirements, the architecture of the Gillette Building was chosen to make a statement. 

Situated directly across the street from Montreal's historic St. Patrick s Basilica, the oldest Irish Church in Canada, and neighboring several other heritage buildings such as the Southam Building and the Unity Paper Factory, now Unity 1, the Gillette Building is located in an area adjacent to the Quartier Inertnational that is now under the protection of the Minister of Communications and Culture - commonly referred to as the Unity District.

The concept employed was geared towards the complete restoration and residential redevelopment of the entire property with the goal of accentuating the many architectural attributes through the design of unique dwellings in a manner that provides a harmonious fusion between The Gillette Building s heritage industrial elegance and the sleek modern minimalism of of an upscale authentic loft residences. This open space approach allowed for the architectural elements to define each dwelling in a way that created a canvas onto which each resident expressed their own individuality. High-end modern Italian kitchens, bathrooms appointed in stone and wood, quartz counter tops, European faucetry, porcelain tiling and polished concrete floors were among the finishing used.