Mount Stephen Club facade damaged by construction work

Heritage experts are sounding the alarm after the Mount Stephen Club, a Victorian mansion classified as a historic site in Montreal, wasdamaged by construction work.

Cracks emerged on the facade of the building as crews worked on a project to develop the icon into a 12-storey luxury hotel.

It's unique to the whole country. We won't let it go,- DinuBumbaru,Heritage Montrealpolicy director

"We've seen these cracks appearing in the facade and it's a real concern because that's an outstanding building. People might appreciate its quality from the outside, but when you get inside it's really a masterpiece of woodwork and Victorian decor," said Dinu Bumbaru, policy director at Heritage Montreal.

The mansion was built in the 1880s for Lord Mount Stephen, a Scottish-Quebec businessman, director and presidentof the Bank of Montreal,and the first president of the Canadian Pacific Railway.

The building, located at 1400 Drummond St. in Montreal's Golden Square Mile, is classified as a national historic site as well as a Quebec historic monument. It is described asthe best example of a Renaissance Revival house in Canada.

The plan for the new development project is to blend the monument's Victorian flare withmodern amenities, while keeping the facade intact.

But Bumbaru said the cracks could now jeopardize that plan, and could possibly lead to interior damage if water seeps in.

"There's no way we can lose this. We've lost so much in Montreal. This is absolutely exceptional. It's unique to the whole country. We won't let it go," he said.

Montreal's Ville-Marie borough ordered that braces be added to ensure the cracked wall doesn't collapse. It said if the facade needs to be dismantled, Quebec's culture ministry would have to approve the plans first.

The Tidan Group, the owner of the property, said it plans to issue a statement.

Meanwhile, Bumbaru said he plans to propose that an experts' panel be consulted on the project.

"We have to solve this problem. We cannot fail with this building," Bumbaru said.

The Quebec Culture Ministry said it would not comment due to ongoing legal proceedings.