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 →📷 Become a Cultural Heritage Online photographer
Share your photos of places: they stay published under your name as the author. The more they're seen, the more you get noticed — and soon a contest will reward the most appreciated photos.
Log in or sign up free to add a photoIs this page about you?
This page is read by travellers and heritage enthusiasts who find it on Google. Tell us how you are connected to this place and we will take it from there.