Roddick House, Victorian Landmark On Sherbrooke St., to Disappear

(caption)The old Roddick estate on Sherbrooke street west, a familiar landmark set to disappear

Roddick House, Victorian Landmark On Sherbrooke St., to Disappear

One of Montreal’s last remaining Victorian homes, and a familiar Montreal landmark for several generations, the old Roddick home on Sherbrooke street west, is to disappear. It has been purchased by Berkeley Property and Investment Corporation Ltd., on London, England.

The magnificent old house which with its surrounding lawns and gardens, occupies about an acre at the corner of Sherbrooke and Redpath street, was bought for development. No decision, however, has yet been made as to whether the site will be used for an apartment building, office building, hotel, or a combination of these.

Messrs. Harris, Kerr, Forster and Co., hotel and real estate specialists in the United States, have been engaged to make a survey of the property’s potentialities.

Berkeley Property operates in Canada through a group of wholly owned subsidiaries of which the North of Scotland Canadian Investment Corporation Ltd. is the chief company. Redbroke Estates Ltd., has been organized for the acquisition and development of the Roddick property, and preliminary studies are now underway leading to the construction of a building of a size and design in keeping with the character of the area.

Home of Famed Couple

Sir Thomas Roddick, one time Dean of the Faculty of Medicine in McGill University, and first overseas president of the British Medical Association, died in 1923, and the Roddick Gates leading to the McGill Campus were erected as a memorial to his name. Lady Roddick, a noted poetess and philanthropist, died last year. Some months later the rare collection of Victorian furnishings and objects d’art which graced the Roddick home were sold by auction.

The three-story grey stone house stands four-square facing Sherbrooke street west, and the main entrance is approached by a comparatively brief driveway through a shrub and tree-shaded lawn. Severe and formal as the house is, its impressive stature has been the admiration of all who have strolled along the street for many years.

The sale was effected by the real estate department of the Royal Trust Company, acting on behalf of the estate of the late Lady Amy Redpath Roddick.

Source: Unknown, "Roddick House, Victorian Landmark On Sherbrooke St., to Disappear," The Montreal Daily Star, March 14, 1956. Notes: PG, 2

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