Le Palais, 1600 rue Girouard, Saint-Hyacinthe

The building at 1600 rue Girouard Ouest in Saint-Hyacinthe is a heritage building erected in the late nineteenth century at the corner of avenue du Palais. It housed in turn several financial institutions, temporarily accommodated the courthouse, held offices of the insurance company Groupe Commerce, served as the chambers of renowned law firms and, from October 30, 1972 to April 21, 1978, the office of federal member of Parliament Claude Wagner, before being converted into prestige apartments by property developer Mr. Stéphane Ferron in 2021-22.

Mr. Ferron comes from the fishing and fishmonger world of Groupe Ferron, founder of Pêcheries Norref, which diversified into real estate.

Key historical milestones of this building

Late nineteenth century: construction of this Victorian-inspired building at the heart of the new business and financial district of upper Saint-Hyacinthe.

Early financial occupants: the building successively housed several banking and insurance institutions, among them Banque Jacques-Cartier, Banque des Cantons de l’Est, Banque d’Hochelaga and the insurance company Le Groupe Commerce (or La Mutuelle du Commerce).

1957-1964: the building served as a temporary courthouse for the judicial district of Saint-Hyacinthe while the new courthouse at 1555 rue Dessaulles was being rebuilt.

Recent period: for many years the building was owned by, and home to, the renowned law firm Sylvestre & associés.

2021-2022: developer Stéphane Ferron carried out a major conversion of the building into 21 prestige rental apartments at a cost of 5 million dollars, and renamed 1600 rue Girouard Ouest LE PALAIS, restoring the original brick, the corbels and friezes of the cornice, and the heritage turret on the roof.