After years on the market and some bureaucratic snags, the palatial former home of Quebec Premier Pauline Marois has finally sold — for some $1.5 million less than the original asking price.
Le Journal de Montreal reports that the long-awaited sale of La Closerie, the opulent former home of Marois and her husband Claude Blanchet, has finally gone through.
The property, located on Ile Bizard, a ritzy island just west of Montreal, was reportedly inspired by the fictional Marlinspike Hall featured in Tintin comics. The property boasts seven bedrooms in a 12,000-square-foot house.
The house is so grand that the Parti Quebecois reportedly feared political fallout from the house being put on sale.
Marois and Blanchet first put the house up for sale in the summer of 2009 for $8 million, La Presse reports. But the final selling price was $6.48 million.
The new owner is Belgian real estate tycoon Patrice Rochemont, who according to La Presse has gone on a real estate buying spree in the Montreal area, buying half a dozen large residential properties over the past two years.
The sale hit a snag last year, as La Closerie is zoned as agricultural land and Quebec law doesn’t allow non-residents to own farmland. La Presse reports that Rochemont formally received his permanent resident status last month, allowing the sale to go forward.
Marois and Blanchet recently purchased a $2.5-million apartment in the luxurious St. Regis building in old Montreal.
Check out these photos of La Closerie and Marois' swanky new condo.
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