What to know about the historic Familex factory building that caught fire in Montreal

Heritage Montreal policy director Dinu Bumbaru speaks about the history of the former Familex factory and its destruction after a fire.

A devastating fire on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning will permanently alter, if not destroy, an iconic Montreal building.

The brick building at 1600 de Lorimier Ave. is well-known to any motorist who enters the city via the Jacques-Cartier, as the bridge bends to avoid it.

According to the Écomusée du fier monde, the former Barsalou/Familex factory was built in 1910 and occupied by soap manufacturer Joseph Barsalou.

The building required the Jacques-Cartier Bridge to include a bend to go around the building on the Montreal side.

It was bought by Procter & Gamble in 1935 and then by the Familex pharmaceutical company in 1943.

Born in Saint-Elphège before moving to Montreal, Roméo Parent owned the company that specialized in pharmaceutical and household products and sold them door-to-door.

The company was sold to Pierre Valcourt in 1983, and the Valcourt family sold the building to the Cosoltec company in 2019.

The Bertone Development Corporation purchased the building in October 2020.

“We were planning to begin a project on this site in the near future, which included integrating this building of historical interest to the neighbourhood,” legal affairs director Brianna Bertone said. “However, the project has been temporarily put on hold while the situation is being assessed. As the investigation is ongoing and several elements remain unknown, we do not have any additional information to share at this time.”

The over 3,700 square metres building includes 70 non-residential units, according to the city.