The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion
The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

Bourgeois mansion in the woods

Laurentides (Quebec), Canada

Built in 1923 by Helen Johnston, widow of William Watson Ogilvie, the mansion incorporates all the components required by the old bourgeoisie. It must be said that her husband William W. Ogilvie had made a fortune in the grain trade, and when he died in 1900 he left behind a nice nest egg of nearly a million and a half dollars to his wife and four children.

The Ogilvie family already owned a sumptuous residence in Montreal (the Rosemount house located on Mount Royal) but it was common practice at the time to own several country homes. So despite her advanced age, Helen Johnston built this luxury home north of Montreal in the woods, near a lake. Inside, there were half a dozen rooms each with a private bathroom, a large living room on the ground floor, and a small room for the maid right next to the kitchen. Outside, there were farm buildings (now destroyed) and much more.

With the death of the Ogilvie widow, the property was sold and eventually became part of a vast tourist complex comprising a private golf course, chalets and more.

Today, it's the whole complex who is in a sorry state. The golf course is closed, the company's web site has not been updated for two years, and the mansion is abandoned, left to itself. Although its structure is in excellent condition, mold has begun to appear everywhere. Fortunately, so far there hasn’t been any vandalism.
 

Related content

The abandoned hotel lost in the woods

Located in the Northeastern United States, miles away from any village, this old hotel is in poor shape today. But even if a full floor has collapsed, its structure has kept its old world charm. Nevertheless, the slightest gust of wind could be...

The Fonte da Pipa palace
Loulé, (Portugal)

Known for its carnival and market of great beauty, Loulé is a city of 70,000 inhabitants located in the south of Portugal, in the Algarve region.

It is built between 1878 and 1897 the small castle of Pipa palace which will never be...

The Buzludzha monument
Buzludzha, (Bulgaria)
A historical brief

We are in Bulgaria, a small state of Central Europe who joined the European Union in 2007 and still relatively unknown outside its touristy areas of the Black Sea.

The construction of the building began in 1974 and the...

The Mr. Chaume shack
Saint-Charles-sur-Richelieu, Quebec (Canada)

This is the story of Mr. Chaume and his house.  A house that was sold in the 1970s to my stepfather but the notarial act stipulated that Mr. Chaume,the seller, could stay in the house for free until his death. In the meantime, the buyer would not...