The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion
The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

The Ogilvie widow's abandoned mansion

Bourgeois mansion in the woods

Laurentides (Quebec), Canada

Built in 1923 by Helen Johnston, widow of William Watson Ogilvie, the mansion incorporates all the components required by the old bourgeoisie. It must be said that her husband William W. Ogilvie had made a fortune in the grain trade, and when he died in 1900 he left behind a nice nest egg of nearly a million and a half dollars to his wife and four children.

The Ogilvie family already owned a sumptuous residence in Montreal (the Rosemount house located on Mount Royal) but it was common practice at the time to own several country homes. So despite her advanced age, Helen Johnston built this luxury home north of Montreal in the woods, near a lake. Inside, there were half a dozen rooms each with a private bathroom, a large living room on the ground floor, and a small room for the maid right next to the kitchen. Outside, there were farm buildings (now destroyed) and much more.

With the death of the Ogilvie widow, the property was sold and eventually became part of a vast tourist complex comprising a private golf course, chalets and more.

Today, it's the whole complex who is in a sorry state. The golf course is closed, the company's web site has not been updated for two years, and the mansion is abandoned, left to itself. Although its structure is in excellent condition, mold has begun to appear everywhere. Fortunately, so far there hasn’t been any vandalism.
 

Related content

Abandoned house - Scotstown area | Photo by Jarold Dumouchel
Eastern Townships, Quebec (Canada)

Abandoned for more modern constructions or left behind to adrift once the occupants died, abandoned houses populate the countryside. Hidden under vegetation who tries to conquer its old territory, sometimes the time prevents explorers from...

Abandoned houses in Gaspesie
Gaspésie, Quebec (Canada)

Beyond the tourist beauties we are used to see when we visit the Gaspesie, it can be found hundreds of abandoned houses that show those old days when the region had not yet suffered the wrath of the rural exodus.

If the economy of the...

Teufelsberg: the former NSA station
Berlin, (Germany)

The origin of this construction is surprising. It must first be known that it is located at the top of an artificial mountain made of rubble and other residues from the buildings destroyed during the Second World War. Then, this mountain itself...

The locust hotel
North of Montreal, Quebec (Canada)

First, let me confirm that the hotel is not infested by any bug. To prevent vandalism, I will not mention its real name and its location, preferring instead to give it this nickname in tribute to the many batteries from all the smoke detectors...