 The mansion was built as the residence of and , two wealthy French Canadian entrepreneurs who played a major role in the history of the city of Maisonneuve (now part of Montreal).The Château Dufresne was originally divided into two separate households, one for each brother.In 1948, the Dufresne family sold the property to the Congregation of the Holy Cross, which used it as a pavilion annex of the Holy Cross College.