Édifice Price
The skyscraper that slipped into a walled colonial city, wearing a copper château roof to make peace with its neighbours.
At a glance
The Édifice Price rises 82 metres above the narrow streets of Old Quebec, the tallest building in the historic district and a rare Art Deco tower inside a UNESCO-listed colonial town. Designed by the Montréal firm Ross and Macdonald and completed in 1931 for the Price Brothers pulp-and-paper company, it fuses the set-back massing of the American skyscraper with a steep copper roof borrowed from the Château Frontenac nearby. The compromise let a modern office tower stand among seventeenth-century convents and ramparts without rupturing the skyline.
Key facts
- Architects: Ross and Macdonald
- Built: 1929–1931
- Style: Art Deco with Châteauesque crown
- Height: 82 m, 18 floors
- Status: Offices; the top floors are the official residence of Quebec’s Premier (since 2001)
- Note: Tallest building in the Old Quebec historic district
History
The tower was built as the headquarters of Price Brothers and Company, the Saguenay forestry dynasty, between 1929 and 1931. Putting a skyscraper inside the walls of Old Quebec was controversial, and the design answered the objection directly: the building tapers through a series of set-backs and is capped with a copper roof in the Château style, tying it visually to the Château Frontenac that crowns the city.
For decades it remained the city’s dominant high-rise. Since 2001 its upper floors have served as the official Quebec City residence of the Premier of Québec, giving the Art Deco landmark a continuing civic role.
What you see
The lower shaft is pure Deco: vertical piers, a tall vaulted arch over the main entrance, and pilasters topped with stylised palm motifs. The floor plates step inward as the tower rises, producing the tapering “wedding-cake” profile of the period.
What sets it apart is the crown. Instead of a flat Deco cap, Ross and Macdonald added a steep, steepled copper roof with pinnacles — a deliberate echo of the Château Frontenac that lets the modern tower belong to the old city’s romantic skyline.
Practical information
- A working office building; the upper floors are a private official residence and not open to visitors.
- The exterior is best appreciated from Rue Sainte-Anne and the surrounding squares.
- Combine with a walk of the Old Quebec ramparts.
Getting there
Address: 65 Rue Sainte-Anne, Quebec City, Québec. The building is in the heart of Old Quebec (Upper Town), a short walk from the Château Frontenac, the Hôtel de Ville and Place d’Armes. The city’s historic core is walkable from the Gare du Palais.
Nearby
- Château Frontenac and the Dufferin Terrace
- Notre-Dame de Québec Basilica-Cathedral
- The fortifications of Old Quebec (a UNESCO World Heritage site)
Sources
- Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec
- Canada’s Historic Places register (historicplaces.ca)
- Wikipedia: Price Building (Édifice Price)
Find it on the map
See this place and what’s around it →📷 Diventa un fotografo di Cultural Heritage Online
Condividi le tue foto dei luoghi: restano pubblicate con la tua firma come autore. Più vengono viste, più ti fai conoscere — e presto un concorso premierà le foto più apprezzate.
Accedi o registrati gratis per aggiungere una foto