The Heritage Enhancement Award underscores a corporation’s participation in the protection of Montréal’s architectural heritage through an exemplary restoration of an historic building.
This year, the award goes to Nick Tedeschi and the Julien Bélanger Carrière architectes firm for the restoration of the historic Parisian Laundry Building located in the south-west of Montréal and now home to a contemporary art gallery.
 Constructed in 1929, the Parisian Laundry Building was home, for more than 50 years, to the commercial laundry bearing the same name. Its architecture is quite different from that which was typical of the early 20th Century, because of its generous fenestration on all four sides. In 2000, after being abandoned for a number of years, the building was purchased by Nick Tedeschi who planned to restore it and fully develop its potential. Through his discussions with architect Marc Julien, the new owner developed his vision for the building, which he chose to dedicate to one of his passions: art.
Tedeschi’s vision was a beacon in this project and ruled all the interventions on the building. The restoration was done with the utmost respect for its historical and industrial character. The decision to preserve the “Parisian Laundry” name sculpted on the Art Deco portico is true to this line of thinking. Simplicity was the keynote chosen to fully enhance the original architecture’s character. This simplicity translated into every choice and intervention and restricted the range of materials to wood, masonry and steel. Overall, the modern interventions are clearly perceivable and their sobriety is in keeping with industrial architecture aesthetic.
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