A Sherbrooke nonprofit is studying a plan to create about 40 affordable housing units in Stanstead, Quebec, inside the former Collège des Ursulines complex, while the future of the older heritage portion remains unresolved.
Les Habitations l’Équerre is focusing its housing proposal on the rear, former school portion of the property. Richard Tanguay, the organization’s development director, said the group’s analysis shows room for roughly 40 apartments, with residents age 50 and older among the main groups under consideration. No final site plan, exterior design, or access layout has been selected.
The bigger challenge is the front section facing Dufferin Street. Built in 1884, the former college has deteriorated heavily, and part of a lateral wall collapsed about a year and a half ago. Tanguay said restoring the heritage building goes beyond patching what’s visible. It also involves bringing parts of the building up to current standards, including interior layouts like corridors that no longer meet today’s requirements. That reality points toward major interior demolition and reconstruction in addition to repair work.
For mason contractors, the project also highlights a core rehab truth: historic brick-on-brick walls do not behave like new construction. Tanguay said insulation and other building upgrades need designs that work with the existing masonry instead of damaging it. On a project like this, early scope decisions drive everything, including stabilization needs, how much original masonry stays, and what interior work touches the exterior walls.
Cost remains central. Tanguay said the combined price of repair, code upgrades, and reuse pushes into the millions, and Les Habitations l’Équerre operates affordable housing, not market-rate rentals. The organization has started contacting funding sources, and municipal participation is part of how some affordable-housing programs work.
Several scenarios remain under study, from preserving and transforming the heritage building to demolishing portions that do not pencil out while retaining elements that reflect the site’s Ursuline history. Another option under review involves physically separating the heritage building from the rear school, which would reshape entrances, operations, and exterior redesign decisions.
Meanwhile, provincial heritage group Action patrimoine has urged the town to act to prevent further deterioration. Stanstead has also adopted a building occupancy and maintenance bylaw aimed at stopping properties from declining to the point where they cannot be saved. Tanguay said any construction timeline depends on funding and municipal discussions. He tied early work to a 2027 start for interior demolition and reconstruction, with major construction running about a year once underway.
Read the full, original article from The Pulse of the Eastern Townships here.