The owners of an ancestral house in Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville say they are discouraged before the municipality’s disinterest in him. The future of this home, one of the oldest in the region, appears unanswered, between preservation and abandonment, at a time when a real estate project promises to create more than 2,000 dwellings in its surroundings. After being saved by a Polish immigrant, the building has an uncertain future.
The real estate developer Luc Poirier is linked to this development project. “The Sabourin sector is the largest remaining site in the city of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville called to urbanize,” says the businessman’s website. The projected set aims to “create a neighborhood with strong centrality”.
Located near Route 116, the places are still rural for the moment. What will he remain for a long time of the natural setting where this old stone house is located?
However, it is not any building: according to the president of the History Society of Montarville, Colette Deslières, this house could be the oldest in Saint-Bruno, even all the Montérégie. Difficult to fix your construction year. Without doubt around 1779, the repertoire of cultural heritage of Quebec said. But maybe before.
A rare building
The residences of the end of the 18the A century, a period when the regime has just switched into the hands of the British, embody a fragile part of history.
Despite its architectural and historical value, this house in the Sabourin climb has however never been cited by the municipality. Nor does it enjoy special protection of the state.
The owner says she is exhausted by this almost “municipal indifference”. First intended to be bequeathed to the community, the house was finally put up for sale.
The owner, Teresa Krakus-Cunningham, now considers the possibility of dismantling certain elements of the house to sell them to the room: floors, moldings, doors, etc.
“I was contacted by a company that recycles that,” explains Mme Krakus-Cunningham. “I’ve been talking to the city for 14 years. They wanted to have the house. They even proposed to appoint it in honor of my father. They never moved. Nothing moves, she said, for years. »»
A curious fate for this place inhabited by the dream of an immigrant, a man who saw in these stone walls a way of giving memory to his family, at the heart of his host community.
The dream of an immigrant
“If I live this house again today, while my whole family is in Toronto, it is because of my father, who held there so much,” explains Mme Krakus-Cunningham. It was his dream of preserving this house. »»
Her father, Stanislaw Krakus, saved this centenary house in the 1960s. “She was in an extremely mediocre and dilapidated state,” notes her daughter.
This Polish immigrant had bought her with his wife, Rita, an Irishwoman, to restore her and install his family there. “My father was extremely proud of what he did. He patiently renovated it, with very modest means. »»
Why did a Polish immigrant want to take care of a Quebec XVIII residencee century ? In an interview in 2016 for the benefit of a local weekly, Stanislaw Krakus explained: “We were a family of emigrants and I wanted to give roots here, Peter and Terre [Teresa]. This is where the importance of living in an old house took for me. »»
At 92, in 2021, Mr. Krakus died. He is far from being the only Polish immigrant to be closely interested in preserving heritage. The association of friends and owners of old houses in Quebec was also founded by a Polish: Thérèse Romer, daughter of a diplomat.
Interest in its new country
For Stanislaw Krakus, living in an old house was a way of demonstrating, over time, interest in its new country and to integrate it, by doing useful work. “My father’s dream was that this house benefits the community in the end,” said Duty SA fille, Teresa Krakus-Cunningham.
His father proposed to donate the house to the municipality and to invoice only the fair value of the land, depending on the evaluation of the city.
Over the years, municipal administrations have succeeded. Several representatives of Saint-Bruno visited the house. “They came with trucks, with experts, with all kinds of people. They made evaluations. Everyone came out enchanted, ”she says. “They all left with the same promise to buy the house for the Saint-Bruno community, but nothing has ever advanced. »»
I am sad that my father died without seeing the result he wanted to come true. I stayed in this house for my mother. She died four weeks ago.
The municipality has produced a report for the purchase of the house. He was not allowed to consult it, except in a cavilated version, following legal procedures. “My great sadness is that my father’s dream will not come true. There, I have enough. »»
Mme Krakus-Cunningham deplores that the municipality has changed the zoning of the sector where the house is then that talks for its acquisition were in progress. “It now makes sale difficult, while the municipality did not want to buy the house anymore!” »»
No building cited in Saint-Bruno
“I am sad that my father died without seeing the result he wanted to come true. I stayed in this house for my mother. She died four weeks ago. »»
Mme Krakus-Cunningham appeared before the municipal council on July 3. In the letter she has deposited there with her brother, Peter Krakus, she asks Saint-Bruno to give up her right of first glance during a possible sale of the house. What the municipality has accepted, since the mayor of Saint-Bruno, Ludovic Grisé Farand, said that it did not intend to acquire this home.
How can we also explain that, during all these years, the city of Saint-Bruno has not protected this home, as Quebec law authorizes it? “We made requests for the house to be cited by the city in 2016,” said Duty Colette Deslières, the president of the local history society.
Vincent Fortier, an elected official from Saint-Bruno, says he has been growing in the same direction since 2018. “It’s an exceptional house! It is still not cited. She is now on sale and the mayor has decided that the city would do nothing to acquire it. The elected official claims to have multiplied in vain the steps in favor of preserving the premises.
“In preparation” procedures
Joined by The dutythe municipality of Saint-Bruno gives laconic responses. According to Martine Verdon, head of communications for the city, “it should be noted that no property is officially cited to date on the territory of Saint-Bruno-de-Montarville”.
That said, Saint-Bruno affirms that “three quotation approaches are in preparation”, for two churches as well as for this Krakus family house.
Still according to the municipality, “the process is in the process of finalization”. She has not given more details on her intentions. Nor on the fact that no building in its territory is yet protected by a municipal quote.
“We returned to the charge several times to make the house at least quote,” said Mr.me Deslières, from the History Society of Montarville, in order to ensure its protection for future generations. “There was no follow -up. It is a city that is not so concerned about its past. It is however one of the oldest houses in Saint-Bruno. That’s sure. Probably from the region. We consider it very important. »»
What explains the lack of protection measures for this house for so many years? “I don’t know,” says Mr.me Deslières. It is certain that there is a big real estate development which must be built around, according to the particular Sabourin urban plan which has been adopted. »»