photography: Ian Rogers

According to BonJour Quebec Magazine, the Godin Building:

“Classified an historic monument in 1990 by the Ministère de la Culture du Québec, the Godin Building was largely ignored in the 20th century. Built in 1915 by avant-garde architect Joseph Arthur Godin, this prestigious “income property” was one of the first Art Nouveau structures to be built in Montréal and was constructed entirely of reinforced concrete. .

Today, the building has experienced a renaissance. Architect Dan Hanganu (Musée d’archéologie, École des hautes études commerciales) began working on the site in 2003. In addition to restoring the façade, he added a new section to the existing building, thus giving birth to the Hôtel Godin, a true boutique hotel.”

As you probably know by now, the Hôtel Godin was sold last year. It is true that it was a remarkable boutique hotel. Unfortunately it never really achieved its full potential as a business; since their opening date on 2004 the hotel had a major setback: they were unable to get a liquor license (it’s a long story), but they did try their best.

“Without a liquor license at the Hotel, the prior owner made the decision to leave the restaurant space unfinished and vacant. This was a major setback because of the Hotel’s strategic location within the entertainment district of Montreal.” – HVS Capital Corp.

On July 9, 2007, Opus Hotel (Trilogy Properties Corporation), a Vancouver based hotel owner/operator, obtained the leasehold interest of Hôtel Godin for $24,350,000, according to HVS Capital Corp.

Even though it is owned and operated by a different group, and it’s now called The Opus Hotel, most of us still remembers it as the Hôtel Godin.

Related Blog post on Opus:

• Opus Brand Alive in Montreal – Vacant Ready
• The Opus Blog