For many, the house at 1978 chemin du Village recalls the site of the famous Villa d'Howard, a landmark in the township's history. While some may have stepped into the dance hall on more than one occasion, others remember spending their honeymoon there.
Photo : View of part of the house on the Villa d’Howard estate, 2023.
Source : Société d’histoire de Saint-Adolphe-d’Howard, Tom Silletta, photographer.
Photo : Main facade of Villa d’Howard, facing chemin du Village, date unknown.
Source : Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec, photographer Cliché Verdier & Fils.
We owe the development of this highly touristic site to Dr. J.-Anselme Lamarrre, who graduated from the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Université de Montréal in 1928. In the 1940s, he acquired a number of lots on the shores of Lac Saint-Joseph. The doctor and his wife Thérèse Ritchot, he a choirmaster and she an organist, built a large stone-panelled villa and small pavilions that served as cottages. All surrounded by a large stone rampart that can still be seen today.
Photo : Rear view of the cottages to the right of Lac Saint-Joseph from the former Villa d'Howard, date unknown
Source: Bibliothèque et archives nationales du Québec, photographer Cliché Verdier & Fils.
Nicknamed the 'Miami of the Laurentians', Villa d'Howard is renowned for its festive entertainment, with a luminous fountain, musical windmill and cinema.
Source : Ad published in the Radio Monde newspaper, Montreal July 13, 1957.
Tourism was so popular in Saint-Adolphe d'Howard that in 1948, the Compagnie de transport inaugurated a charter route to Saint-Adolphe.
In 1953, Arthur Garinther invested in a ski lift to the summit of Mont Sapin, which later became Mont Avalanche, to attract winter tourists.
Source : Article published in Le Devoir, May 22, 1948.
On the evening of September 9, 1967, a fire ravaged a large part of the hotel, which was never rebuilt. The main building and eight chalets were sold in 1970. The site has since been returned to private use.