Lowney 1

This is where it all began. In 2004, on rue de l'Inspecteur, in the heart of Griffintown, the Lowney project took shape in the buildings of the former Lowney Company of Canada chocolate factory. The first to come back to life was this one: Lowney 1, 64 lofts over five storeys, a condominium since 2005.

Its story begins in 1901, when the architects Finley & Spence designed a textile factory for Gault Brothers, at a time when Griffintown lived to the rhythm of its workshops and the Lachine Canal. In 1909, the Lowney Company of Canada, already established in its large factory on rue William, moved in, and the two buildings were eventually linked. Nearly a century later, the architecture firm Cardinal Hardy designed its conversion for Prével, which went on to build six more phases around it. What gave it character stayed: the timber frame, the columns, the large windows.

Picture walking in on the ground floor and looking up at original beams 11 feet overhead, sometimes 12. On the upper floors, ceilings of 9 to 12 feet depending on the floor keep their exposed beams, and wide-plank pine floors recall the workshop. Many units have three large windows, and some ground-floor units open onto a private terrace. According to our information, units range from 451 sq ft to 978 sq ft.

Up top, the roof belongs to everyone: an outdoor pool, a terrace with barbecues and an urban chalet, with downtown as a backdrop. A footbridge leads to the neighbouring Lowney 2, and an indoor garage completes the picture.

Down below is Griffintown. The Lachine Canal bike path is a few streets away, Old Montreal is within walking distance, and the École de technologie supérieure is next door. Square-Victoria–OACI station is a 9-minute walk, and Bonaventure is 10 minutes away.

Lowney 1 speaks to people who want a loft of wood and light steps from downtown, whether it is a first purchase or a place to settle in for the long run.

Every loft has a story. Lowney 1's runs from a textile mill to a chocolate factory, then to the very first phase of a neighbourhood coming back to life. Our job is to help you find the one that becomes yours. Olivier Mailloux and Amélie Flanagan, real estate brokers, follow the Griffintown loft market closely and work with buyers and sellers across Montreal.