René Lépine
René Lépine | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | April 18, 2012 Montreal, Quebec, Canada | (aged 82)
Occupation | Founder of Groupe Lépine [1][2] |
Spouse(s) | Françoise Larrivière-Lépine (m. 1950; div. 1990) Josée Lacoste-Lépine [1] |
Children | 7 Rene H. Lépine, Jr. [3] Normand Lépine [3] Louis Lépine [1][4] Francis Lépine [5] Francesca Lépine Charles Lépine [1][6] |
René G. Lépine (born October 23, 1929 – April 18, 2012) was a
Early life and education
Lépine was born and raised in Ville-Émard, a working-class neighborhood of Montreal, in a family of 10 children.[10][1] His father was a hardware store clerk.[10] Lépine started his first business at the age of 10, selling woodchips for fireplaces door-to-door at 10 cents a bag that he would pick up off the ground outside a timber factory in Lachine.[10] At the age of 13, he dropped out of school to earn money for his family after his father became ill.[10][1] He worked at a jewelry factory and also started a flooring business.[10] At the age of 19, he had $4,000 in savings, borrowed $8,000 from his local credit union and built his first real estate project, a single family house in Côte Saint-Luc.[10] He sold it to someone passing by on the street for $17,000.[10][1] Lépine quickly built two more houses with his profits, and eventually incorporated his own construction company in 1953.[1][10]
Career
In 1969, Lépine and his business partner
By 1974, Lépine owned or controlled over 1,000 rental apartments in Montreal through various partnerships.[12]
In 1974, he, Joseph Zappia, Gerald Robinson and Andrew Gaty, were appointed by Jean Drapeau to build the Olympic Village for the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.[1][2][13]
He was the chairman of real estate for MD Financial and bought over $1 billion worth of properties for the MD Realty Fund.[citation needed]
Since the 1960s, he built more than 1,500 houses in Montreal's
In 1978, Lépine made his first real estate investment in the United States with the purchase of Drake Tower, a 143-unit apartment building in
In 1979, Lépine acquired a large parcel of land on Deom Avenue on the border of the
In late November 1981, Lépine started the development of
By 1985, Lépine's company Groupe Lépine had over $300 million of real estate assets.[9] Lépine had considered venturing into developing office buildings in partnership with a major Canadian insurance company.[9]
In 1985, Lépine acquired a property at 3440
In 1989, Lépine was the lead contender in a $100 million deal to purchase Blue Bonnets, a 146 acre property, from Campeau Corporation.[28][29] Lépine planned to build a $2 billion mixed use project consisting of apartments, office and retail space on the site, which received partial pre-approval by the city of Montreal.[29] Ultimately, Lépine bid $75 million, but did not buy the property due to weakness in the real estate market at the time.[29][28]
In 1991, Lépine announced the development of Alexander Pushkin Tower, a $70 million mixed use office and apartment project in
In September 1996, Lépine made his first real estate investment in
In 1998, Lépine developed Sussex House, a 85-unit apartment building at 22 Murray Street in the
In 1999, Lépine purchased Drummond Court, a vacant building in poor condition on De Maisonneuve Boulevard in Montreal from the Montreal YMCA.[42][43][44][45] Lépine demolished Drummond Court in the summer of 2000.[43][45] The project was part of a deal with the city of Montreal and the Montreal YMCA to revamp the area, which had fallen into disrepair.[43][44][45] The project was supported by Montreal Mayor Pierre Bourque, who alleviated hurdles throughout the development process.[44] As part of the deal, the Montreal YMCA agreed to invest $20 million to renovate and relocate to the Norris Building, adjacent to Lépine's new project.[45] Lépine announced he would develop twin, 340-unit apartment buildings named Lépine Towers at 1200 De Maisonneuve Boulevard Ouest for $80 million.[42][45] The buildings changed names after Lépine sold the property to El-Ad Group during the final phase of construction in 2005.[46]
In 1997, Lépine entered
In April 1999, Lépine acquired the property for $4 million, which was the highest offer obtained by the
Personal life
Since his early 70s, Lépine spent his time between work in Montreal and his other home in Palm Beach, Florida.[1]
Lépine died at his home on April 18, 2012, after a lengthy battle with prostate cancer.[57]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Lampert, Allison (2011-03-04). "A legacy of luxury housing". Montreal Gazette.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Townsend, Dorn (2010-06-11). "Montreal Real Estate Pushes Ahead". The New York Times.
- ^ a b c Mediterranea Marks 50% Pre-Sales, Pours Concrete on First Building. thebambooagency.com
- ^ Manhattan in Montreal Archived 2010-11-23 at the Wayback Machine. Sothebysrealty.ca (2011-12-15). Retrieved on 2012-01-15.
- ^ Groupe Lepine Archived 2011-12-23 at the Wayback Machine. Groupe Lepine. Retrieved on 2012-01-15.
- ^ Maguire Gillies, Craille (2007-01-11). "Comfort and Joy". Canadian House & Home.
- ^ Thorne, Stephen (2019-07-20). "'J'ai cru, je vois': The wonderful life of Françoise Nelida Larivière-Lépine". Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b c d e "LE SANCTUAIRE DU MONT-ROYAL : THE BIRTH OF THE CONDOMINIUM IN MONTREAL". NEUF Architectes. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Halter, Fran (1985-12-26). "Developer has big plans for Montreal in 1986". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Maskoulis, Julia (1981-11-28). "Builder aims to keep empire in the family". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d "New office tower planned". The Montreal Star. 1971-03-13.
- ^ Hardwell, William (1974-11-23). "Ottawa's helpful housing proposals questioned". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Lampert, Allison (2011-06-21). "Montreal home seekers 'felt pressure' to buy from developer". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e "Conversion Records $1 Million in September Sales". The Miami Herald. 1980-10-10.
- ^ a b "Berkshire 85% sold in under 8 months". Fort Lauderdale News. 1980-09-13.
- ^ a b "Patrician Offers 12.75 Mortgage". The Palm Beach Post. 1981-03-06.
- ^ a b "Location, Amenities, Price, Key to Conversion's Success". The Miami Herald. 1980-09-12.
- ^ a b c d e f g h McGovern, Sheila (1989-02-12). "Le Sanctuaire: Tower power". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ "Côte-des-Neiges project 'may be trimmed down'". Montreal Gazette. 1981-03-17.
- ^ "Boutiquees added to condo project". Montreal Gazette. 1987-06-25.
- ^ a b Auf DerMaur, Nick (1980-03-03). "Housing project dwarfs Rockhill". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b Peritz, Ingrid (1985-12-10). "Montreal may alter appeal procedure for demolition permits, Lamarre says". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c Scott, Marian (1987-09-21). "MCM slow to protect old buildings: heritage group". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b Wood, Nancy (1985-09-05). "Developer gets OK to raze greystones". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Schnurmacher, Thomas (1989-03-24). "Pringle jets south as Desmarais gives bash for Duke, Duchess". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b Wood, Nancy (1985-05-09). "Tenants file protest in demolition of buildings". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Drummond, Derek (1989-09-30). "Condo tower is more about marketing than architecture". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b Bonhomme, Jean-Pierre (7 December 1989). "Blue Bonnets: Montréal veut que l'habitation ait une place prépondérante". La Presse. p. 5.
- ^ a b c Cloutier, Laurier (16 October 1990). ""La vente de Blue Bonnets sort la BN du dossier Campeau"". La Presse. p. 3.
- ^ a b Hadekel, Peter (1992-09-22). "From sweaters to satellites, Montreal companies are anxious to supply Russians". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Schnurmacher, Thomas (1993-04-05). "Mood fit for the occasion". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d Heinrich, Jeff (1991-10-16). "Montreal developer Lépine to build in Moscow". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c Bonhomme, Jean-Pierre (3 March 1993). "Le maire Youri Louzhkov presse les Québécois de contribuer à la modernisation de Moscou". La Presse. p. 4.
- ^ "Montreal firm gets Moscow contracts". Montreal Gazette/Canadian Press. 1991-10-16.
- ^ a b c d e Rogers, Dave (1997-06-13). "Former low-rent apartment building gets $10-million upscale makeover". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b c d Brady, Sheila (1998-10-03). "Introducing the Lépine Family". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b c Bohuslawky, Maria (1996-09-07). "Tenants leave unsafe tower". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ Buchanan, Carrie (1998-09-08). "Owner, officials trade blame for evacuation". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ Stern, Leonard (1998-09-08). "Rideau-Chaptel Towers: Legal fight brewing over mass evacuation". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b c Dow, Carl (1999-08-07). "Sussex House in the heart of the city". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b c Goff, Kristin (1998-10-08). "Developer target 'upscale transients'". The Ottawa Citizen.
- ^ a b Lamey, Mary (2001-07-04). "1,250 downtown rental units". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c Gyulai, Linda (2002-02-09). "Demolition of YMCA angers activists". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c Gyulai, Linda (1999-08-03). "Building with a hole in it will be - a hole". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e Brownstein, Bill (2000-07-20). "Site for sore eyes". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ "Tour d'horizon des chantier de construction". La Presse. Montreal, Quebec. 22 October 2005. p. 2.
- ^ a b c d Swoger, Kate (1999-02-27). "Panel delays decision on Mount Royal condos". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d Gyulai, Linda (1999-02-24). "Development hearing produces surprises". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e f g Marsden, William (2002-01-15). "Developer got prime federal land at half value". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Archived from the original on 2011-07-19. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ a b c Curran, Peggy (1999-03-03). "Can a plaque make up for a ravaged site?". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ a b c d e "Housing deal gets delayed". Montreal Gazette. 1999-03-17.
- ^ Gyulai, Linda (2000-03-03). "Condo project moves on". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Bronson, Susan (1999-04-24). "Condo opponents continue fighting". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Riga, Andy (2005-04-30). "Accusations foretold sponsorship fiasco". Montreal Gazette. Canwest. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
- ^ Jelowicki, Amanda (2000-08-29). "Condos: more trees get chop". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ "Developer fells more protected trees". Montreal Gazette. 1999-12-06.
- ^ Lampert, Allison (18 April 2012). "Prominent real-estate developer René Lépine has died after lengthy illness". Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 18 April 2012.