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La Tour Fides is an innovative residential real estate project, taking Montreal’s history into the future. The original Fides building was birthed in 1964 and is one of Montreal’s most iconic mid-century modern towers. The distinctive Fides insignia and brick patterns are now an integral part of the fabric of Blvd René-Lévesque. This echoes the towering influence of its first occupant, renowned publisher Les Éditions Fides, on Québec’s literary scene.
The lot where the Fides Building would later be erected belongs to the Plessis-Bélair family. It’s one of the first places outside the walls of the old City of Montreal to be inhabited, on what was known as Dorchester Street.
Les Éditions Fides are founded by father Paul-Aimé Martin of the Ste-Croix Congregation. The publisher is dedicated to educational and spiritual materials catered to the French-Canadian population.
The buildings south of the lot are demolished for the enlargement of Dorchester Boulevard. Some historic houses remain, such as the Shaughnessy house, which is now the Centre for Canadian Architecture (CCA).
The Fides building is constructed according to the designs of Montreal architecture firm Morin et Le Borgne, using modernist style and building precepts. The white and blue brick building makes use of symmetry, coloration, form and texture to make its mark on the growing cityscape.
The Berri-de-Montigny (now Berri-UQAM) metro station is built just 500 meters away from the Fides Headquarters. It remains the most active metro station in Montreal, and the only one where three different lines intertwine.
The Université du Québec à Montréal is founded in the Quartier Latin. This will become the university’s largest and most prestigious campus.
Les Éditions Fides sells the building to Helca Metro Ltée, but remains there as a tenant.
Les Éditions Fides moves to a different location, but the building keeps its namesake and its iconic “Fides” logo.
Dorchester Boulevard is renamed after René Lévesque, the late Quebec Prime Minister, politician and journalist.
The 8-story tower is occupied by medical practitioners and liberal professionals.
The office building is sold to a different owner.
The Québec Government builds the first phase of the Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM), Québec’s largest hospital.
Real estate developer MTL Développement purchases the Fides Building and adjacent lot, making plans to reinvigorate the building by turning it in into a major residential project.
The final phase of the CHUM hospital centre is completed, with the addition of 1000 new parking spaces.
Estimated delivery of La Tour Fides, including the existing structure, the 19-storey Fides tower, the HDV building, and 3 townhouses.
Launching La Tour Fides has been truly fulfilling for MTL Développement, we are ecstatic to see it come to fruition. By preserving the Fides iconic Fides façade, we remain firmly anchored in our roots, as a staple of Montreal’s cultural and intellectual epicentre – le Quartier des Spectacles. This project embraces a contemporary outlook, envisioning luxurious units and common spaces where residents can have magical experiences and seek their wildest ambitions. Standing 19 stories tall, La Tour Fides will take on higher ground while ensuring a line of continuity. The strategic location at the cusp of the Old Port and the financial district will give residents an awe-inspiring perspective of our city’s journey from past to future.
Contributing to Blvd René-Lévesque’s institutional character since 1964, the Fides Building stands out for its avant-garde volumetry and its noble materials. Its varnished Italian blue and white brick cladding and its main façade, accentuated by a symmetrical texture, give it a unique presence in the city. Steeped with the same dynamic contemporary style, the architectural concept merges new structures to the original one, accentuating its uniqueness. The hierarchy of volumes engages with each street where its presence is felt, representing urban integration at its finest.
Informed by the building’s modernist aesthetic and its history as part of Montreal’s cultural and intellectual life, the interiors merge the energy of the urban landscape with a cohesive interior palette. Noble materials create an ethereal destination where privacy meets discovery and heritage meets modernity. La Tour Fides is inspired by the colours and textures of the surrounding urban fabric, with a design-forward sensibility. The interiors create a timeless harmony between modern and contemporary aesthetics, establishing a sense of refinement in both common and private spaces.
