Built in 1928–1930 amid controversy for Price Brothers Limited, it is the tallest building in the Old Quebec historical district, as well as one of the oldest skyscrapers in Canada.

[2][8] Soon afterwards, a longterm lease placed the Price Building under the management of the Société immobilière Trans-Québec (SITQ, now Ivanhoé Cambridge), the real estate arm of the Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDP).

[16][17][18] Édifice Price, despite the original criticism, is considered to be very well integrated with its surroundings, and well adapted to a lot only 24 metres (79 ft) wide.

[21] Édifice Price was constructed in the art deco style of the time, as was the neighbouring Clarendon Hotel, whose extension was completed a few years earlier.

[19] The design uses setbacks to gradually taper floor area down, yielding the typical elongated "wedding cake" shape which contributes in reducing loads and softens the building's visual impact on the city's skyline.

This is reminiscent of Finnish Art Nouveau architect Eliel Saarinen′s work, and is the stylistic opposite of other buildings in the city such as the Château Frontenac, whose cantilever construction widens as it gets taller.

During the 1920s John M. Lyle, an influential architect of the Beaux-arts school, was developing a uniquely Canadian fusion of French and English colonial styles, and his ideas were applied by designers Ross and Macdonald to the construction of the Price Building.

Due to the rapid construction, Saint-Marc-des-Carrières was unable to supply enough stone to keep up with demand on the building site, resulting in the use of Queenston as an additional source.

It was sponsored by the CDP and the Virginia Parker Foundation, and designed by Quebec City artists Lucienne Cornet and Catherine Sylvain.

The log driver is a symbolic figure in the history and culture of Quebec, thanks notably to Félix-Antoine Savard's famous novel Menaud, maître draveur.

In 1994, the Quebec City Chamber of Commerce had bought a large residence at 1080 rue des Braves and donated it to then premier Jacques Parizeau.

The choice, although praised for its symbolic location, attracted criticism that the apartment, rather small and poorly lit, could not accommodate a family (Landry was widowed from his first wife at the time).

Some also noted that the former Lieutenant-Governor's residence, located at 1010 Chemin Saint-Louis and sold in 1996 for a fraction of its estimated value, would have made an excellent choice.

The apartment is richly appointed with maple hardwood floors, granite and limestone; its furnishings reproduce traditional Quebec styles, and is decorated with paintings by local artists on loan from the Musée du Québec.

[27] In 2006, renewed criticism regarding current Premier Jean Charest′s limited use of the apartment led to another proposal for a proper official residence.