Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue has approved an official name for a farmhouse with local historical significance in its north sector.
Last week, council voted to formalize a moniker for the heritage property located at 20345 Ste-Marie Rd. as Maison Michel-Robillard. It has been commonly referred to as the Braerob farmhouse, even in some previous municipal documents.
Quebec’s toponymie commission recommended this name for the farmhouse be adopted by the town, said Mayor Paola Hawa.
“They said you should really have the name registered,” she said.
The mayor added that while she will miss referring to it as Braerob, she said people should get used to referring to it as Michel-Robillard since it’s now the official name. The farmhouse, which had sat abandoned for several years before it was gutted by fire in late 2012, was designated a heritage site by the town last month.
As well, last March the town moved to place a reserve on the farmhouse in order to study the possibilities of salvaging the remaining stone walls and foundation in order to potentially include it in a special urban planning program for its northern sector. The farmhouse sits on sprawling lot that has been owned by Grilli Property Group Inc. since 2005. The farmhouse was cited in Ste-Anne’s Moving Towards Sustainability plan, unveiled in fall 2012. Restoring the farmhouse as a heritage building is an objective.
Meanwhile, the farmhouse property was part of a scuttled draft urban plan for Ste-Anne’s northern sector tabled in spring 2012. The town announced then it hoped to acquire the farmhouse and about two hectares of surrounding land and restore it for some public use.
The Braerob term was coined by a previous owner, Peter Williamson. The word ‘brae’ is derived from a Scottish word for hillside, while ‘Rob’ was a tribute to the Robillard family which had worked the farm for about two centuries, commencing in 1739. Documents indicate Michel Robillard had originally built the stone house around 1780.