House of Leaders

This house, a beautiful blend of Italian Renaissance villa and Four Square styles, dates from 1934. The offset positioning of its two sections and its basket-handle arced windows are typical Italian Villa style. Its tall, triple-arched windows and hipped roof are characteristic of the Four Square style. The landscaping adds to its elegant appearance.

A basket-handle arch is an opening whose upper portion forms a low, semi-oval arch. The hipped roof has four slopes and covers a building with a roughly square floor plan.

Architectural Significance

Its architectural style is representative of early 20th-century English-speaking residential trends. The villa is interesting because of its connection to the Noranda bourgeoisie, as it housed the assistant manager of the Noranda mine and various executives. Along with the Roscoe House, this building is the only one with a copper roof in the Executives' Quarter (the area where, at the time, some of the Horne Mine's top executives lived, between 3e rue and Lac Osisko). (3rd Street and Lake Osisko)

Photo credit: Devamco, 2008

Notice the oval-shaped arches of some of the windows and the main door on the ground floor; it’s these features that allow us to conclude that these openings are basket-handle arches.

Photo credit: Devamco, 2008

On the right side of this residence, you'll see its magnificent veranda topped with a three-sided roof.

Photo credit: Devamco, 2008

Aside from changes to the appearance of some windows and the removal of certain decorative elements, the house at 10 avenue Murdoch retains many of its original features, and any modifications made have been done with respect for its history. This residence is in excellent condition.

Photo credit: Roméo Blais, 1934