293 Paul East
It started with Francesco Rasco, an Italian, known sometimes as François when speaking with French speaking people and at other moments as Francis with English speakers. He opened first a confectionery and bakery in a building of an Italian fellow at the corner Place Jacques-Cartier and the St-Paul Street. Then he signed an eight year contract with John Molson to be in charge of an hotel at the corner of rue Bonsecours and St-Paul. It was in 1825. The hotel also housed a Masonic Hall and included eighty furnished rooms, a billiard room and a restaurant in the style of the Royal Palace in Paris. The hotel soon was called Masonic Hall Hotel. This happened when John Molson was appointed “venerable porte-épée” of the great Masonic Lodge of the Province of Lower Canada. But the agreement between the two men lasted only one year.
It started with Francesco Rasco, an Italian, known sometimes as François when speaking with French speaking people and at other moments as Francis with English speakers. He opened first a confectionery and bakery in a building of an Italian fellow at the corner Place Jacques-Cartier and the St-Paul Street. Then he signed an eight year contract with John Molson to be in charge of an hotel at the corner of rue Bonsecours and St-Paul. It was in 1825. The hotel also housed a Masonic Hall and included eighty furnished rooms, a billiard room and a restaurant in the style of the Royal Palace in Paris. The hotel soon was called Masonic Hall Hotel. This happened when John Molson was appointed “venerable porte-épée” of the great Masonic Lodge of the Province of Lower Canada. But the agreement between the two men lasted only one year.
It was between 1834 and 1836 that finally Rasco built his own hotel on St-Paul East Street. It was said to be the most luxurious hotel establishment of the country. A Neo-classical building (that is with items from Greece and ancient Rome architecture), it was the pride of Montreal located in front of the Theatre Royal housed in a wing of the Bonsecours market. Its five floors could receive hosts in 150 rooms. A concert hall, a Ballroom and a high class restaurant were part of the Hotel. Rasco received people of importance like Charles Dickens and his wife in 1842. Dickens took advantage of his stay in Montreal to present a play in the theatre in front of the hotel. Only those invited could see the representation and even Dickens had a role in the play. It was a great success.
In 1844, Francisco Rasco sold his hotel to John Donegani (another Italian) and returned to his native country. As can be expected, fire was part of the history of the building. Today the room occupied by Dickens as well as all the other rooms are unrecognizable. Renovated on several occasions, the building lost little by little its initial style and was stripped of its architectural design. It was vacant between 1960 and 1981. It has even been proposed to demolish it to build a parking lot! Fortunately a bylaw changed all the Old Montreal into a patrimonial area. In 1982, the city took charge of the hotel and restored it.
