311, rue Saint-Paul East
Built in 1860 by the lawyer Joseph - Octave - Alfred Turgeon, this building is also known by three other designations: Inn Félix-Villeneuve, hotel Bonsecours and hotel Payette. It is primarily a hostel that occupied the place then followed restaurants and groceries as well as the hotel Bonsecours owned by Félix Villeneuve. The place became a pension under a new owner, Napoleon Lefebvre, a jeweller who owned it from 1875 to 1892 while his succession retained it until 1912.
Many grocery stores have opened their door on the ground floor for nearly a century while the upper floors sheltered tenants. Legault and Masse, a grocery store in wholesale and retail, did business from 1931 to 1960 but Narcisse Legault was already present on the premises since the beginning of the 1920s. From 1970s, the same restaurant occupied the place for 20 years. Today, a similar trade operates on the first floor while the upper ones have been turned into commercial condominiums with offices.
The building was not much transformed since its construction. As it is located in the historic Borough of Montreal, it is protected by the provincial legislation and is under the municipal jurisdiction.
