Pierrefonds-Roxboro Borough Mayor Jim Beis is looking forward to bringing a near 200-year-old farm house into the modern era.
“It’s exciting when you start to uncover some of this history, and this is going to be part of our legacy for years to come,” he told Global News.
The City of Montreal paid more than $1 million to purchase the Gouin Boulevard home built in 1830 as a way of preventing the waterfront property from further decay.
Beis’s daughter wants to preserve the home’s heritage value, too.
“This house is so great. I would want to see that people that live in this area know that it’s a very nice house too when it’s restored,” eight-year-old Anabelle Beis told Global News.
READ MORE: Dorval’s long-standing ‘Gardener’s house,’ is getting some much-needed TLC
Farther West, through some thick brush and mature trees, sits an even older house.
The farm house on Chemin Sainte-Marie in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue dates back to the 18th century.
Eight years ago, a fire destroyed most of it — but not enough for it to be torn down.
“The stone walls are preserved, the foundation is preserved,” Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue Mayor Paola Hawa told Global News.
There is a multi-million dollar plan to rebuild this house and have it used as a welcome centre for visitors, as it sits in the middle of a large piece of green space.
Hawa is thrilled to rebuild the home a give it a new lease on life.
“It’s been a vision for many, many years, and now to see it come to a point of fruition is extremely rewarding.
Rebuilding or restoring these homes that date back prior to Confederation won’t be easy or cheap.
The combined costs will be millions of dollars and could take years to complete. Elected officials say it’s worth it to eventually see life spring back into these historic sites.