The 19th-century house in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare that was originally a bakery is now on the market.

Article by Elisabeth Kalfuss

Photo by Anka Buzolitch

This house was built in the 1880s as the first bakery in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, a small historic town in the Lanaudière region.

Today, some five decades after being meticulously and lovingly transformed into a single-family home, it is for sale and looking for new owners to appreciate it and preserve its historic value.

The house, located at 110 Principale Street, is offered for sale at $489,000 and sits on two acres of land, including two other original buildings: a barn and a former blacksmith’s shop that is now a guest house. The large grounds include flower and vegetable gardens, a sugar shack, maple and fruit trees, as well as berry patches, and ensure the utmost privacy.

« It’s a tranquil spot with a 360-degree view of the grounds. When you look around, the space is infinite,” says Sylvie Ménard, the real estate broker managing the sale. “The house is located in a small village renowned for its calm and discretion.

The house was built in typical Quebec boomtown style, one level at a time,” explains Louise-Hélène Lebrun, who, with Marie-Paule Desrochers, purchased the property in 2001. “Once the children were born or the family grew, they would build a 2nd floor,” she says. When families had 12 children, they needed this type of house. »

The main house has an open-plan area at the front. This was once used as a store where customers came to have their bread, cakes and pies served. The original oven doors have survived the years and are stored in the property’s barn. Upstairs, the house had four bedrooms and a bathroom. Louise-Hélène doesn’t know exactly when the bakery moved, but she believes the property was converted to a single-family home 50 or 60 years ago.

The wood beams and panelled ceilings in the main room are original, as are the wide-plank maple floors throughout the house,” explains Louise-Hélène. The beams in the dining room and kitchen are still part of the décor, but have been covered and painted. Upstairs, the walls and ceilings of the bedrooms are also panelled.

As well as modernizing the plumbing and heating, the owners have incorporated other resolutely modern additions, such as the four-season veranda. Insulated and heated, it faces west and offers a magnificent view of the sunset.

In addition, a whirlpool bath has been installed outside on the terrace.

The owners have taken care to preserve or recreate many of the house’s original details, in particular to preserve the authenticity of its exterior. The carved rosettes under the roof and other woodwork are typical of the region and period, di Louise-Hélène, as are the house’s colors: from white walls to red roof. “We’ve tried to preserve the cachet,” she says. There’s also a gazebo next to the main house in the same tones.

Louise-Hélène says the barn is one of the few original barns preserved in the region. Some work has been done to rebuild parts of the walls and maintain the roof. They never really had time to develop the woodworking and carving workshop they had envisioned, but the owner says it would be an ideal place to raise chickens.

Louise-Hélène and Marie-Paule first used the property for vacation or weekend getaways, but eventually moved there full-time a dozen years ago, while continuing to commute to their jobs in Montreal. They created the landscaping, tended the gardens and planted apple trees and raspberry and blueberry bushes.

The gardens attract a variety of migratory birds, including snowy owls in winter. The lawn behind the house is also large enough for them to play golf.

Located east of Rawdon, the property is close to lakes, cross-country ski trails and other recreational areas, and 10 minutes from three gold courses.