User:Thomas1313/Ravenscrag Mansion

Ravenscrag Mansion (also known as Hugh Allan House and Hugh Montagu Allan House) is a historic house located in the Golden Square Mile district in Montreal, Canada.

This house was the residence of Sir Hugh Allan from 1863 to 1882 and of his son Sir Hugh Montagu Allan from 1882 to 1940. In 1940, this house became the property of the Royal Victoria Hospital. Since 1943, the building has housed the Allan Memorial Institute, which houses the hospital's psychiatry department, and since 1997, the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC). Following the move of the Royal Victoria Hospital in 2015, the future of Ravenscrag is uncertain. In 2023, the MUHC transferred the property to the Société québécoise des infrastructures (SQI) in order to implement the "Royal Victoria" university pavilion project at McGill University. The MUHC remains tenant until 2028.

Built mainly between 1861 and 1863, this residence was designed by architect Victor Roy of the firm William Spier & Son in the Italianate style, following the trends of Victorian architecture. Around 1865, architect John William Hopkins of the firm Hopkins & Wily superintended the construction of the reception rooms annexed to the house and of the greenhouse, following the plans of architect Victor Roy. Following the construction of the reception rooms around 1865, the house had 34 rooms, excluding the servants' quarters and outbuildings. The interior is notably decorated by the Italian painter Giuseppe Guidicini, the team of the Canadian painter John McArthur, the team of the carpenter and cabinetmaker George Roberts as well as the interior decoration company J. & W. Hilton of Montreal.

Hugh Allan baptised his residence "Ravenscrag" following its construction in the 1860s. This residence is part of the former Hugh Allan estate which also includes stables, the Gate house, the belvedere and a park. This estate was recognized by the City of Montreal in 1987 and by the Government of Quebec in 2005 as an integral part of the "Site patrimonial du Mont-Royal". It was also declared to be integrated into the "Royal Victoria Hospital district of exceptional heritage value" by the City in 2004.