A heritage building that was once at the heart of the social and artistic life of Saint-Hyacinthe was ravaged by flames on Friday night, throwing around twenty households into the street.
“It’s a huge loss, it’s a part of our history that has flown away,” resigned Daniel Girouard, assistant archivist at the Center d’histoire de Saint-Hyacinthe, while a mechanical shovel felled the ruins of the building that once housed the Ottawa Hotel.
The fire broke out around 11 p.m. Thursday to gradually engulf the three-storey building erected in 1903 on Saint-Antoine Street, near Saint-Simon Avenue.
The fire could have started in a recycling bin, according to initial findings, which will however have to be validated during the investigation. But nothing indicates at first sight that the disaster is of criminal origin, according to the authorities.
More than a hundred firefighters from Saint-Hyacinthe and eleven other towns were called to fight the blaze. The imposing flames which rose tens of meters in height kept the firefighters in suspense until the wee hours of the morning.
All tenants were evacuated in time, and no one was injured.
Feeling of deja vu
If one goes through the archives of the municipality, this incident gives impressions of deja vu. This same building had been razed twice, the most recent in 1903 when a fire burned two-thirds of the city center. The blaze had caused some $750,000 in damage, according to the Center d’histoire de Saint-Hyacinthe.
For the time, “it was still a fairly large sum,” says Daniel Girouard.
Subsequently, the Ottawa Hotel, established a stone’s throw from the public market, was a place that attracted many celebrities, in particular thanks to its cabaret.
“There are several Quebec stars who have been there: the Jérolas, Willie Lamothe, Murielle Millard […]Michèle Richard, Father Gédéon, Gilles Latulippe”, lists Mr. Girouard.
Even the players of the Montreal Canadiens, including Maurice Richard, would have stayed there in the 1940s when the training camp took place in Saint-Hyacinthe.
Over time, the building was eventually converted into an apartment building.
Homeless
Moreover, following the disaster, the residents of some twenty dwellings found themselves homeless. No less than 16 tenants were supported by the Red Cross and the City. In shock, the owners of the building preferred not to comment.
In the midst of the housing crisis, “it is a loss not only in terms of heritage, but it is also a situation that still puts several tenants on the street”, points out Brigitte Massé, director of communications for the city of Saint-Hyacinthe. .
Shops on the ground floor, including a restaurant, were also destroyed.
In 2019, Place Frontenac, a heritage building located across from the former Hotel Ottawa, also burned down.