Baxter Mansion, Montreal

At the height of his banking career, James "Diamond Jim" Baxter lived with his family in this huge mansion in the Golden Square Mile, which was inhabited by other two bankers and later became the head offices of The Corby Distilling Company. Following her husband's death in 1905, Hélène Baxter was well provided for given the family's investments in France, Switzerland and Belgium as well as properties in Montréal. On April 15, 1912 she was returning home from France on Titanic with her son, Quigg, and daughter Zette, having booked passage on one of the vessel's most expensive suites.

Mrs Baxter was ill with nausea during most of the voyage, and found the throb of the engines relaxing. When the ship stopped in mid-ocean, she had an anxiety attack. Her son, Quigg, carried her up the Grand Staircase and put her and his sister into lifeboat 6. As he kissed them goodbye he gave his mother a sterling silver brandy flask so she might keep warm on the open ocean, and she berated him for his drinking. After the disaster, she returned to Montréal but never recovered from the effects, having died in her apartment on 19th June, 1923.

One of the few remaining mansions downtown on Sherbrooke Street, it is also of significant heritage interest due to its interior with a very fine mahogany staircase and beautiful chimneys in marble and walnut, among other features.