Part 12/14:
Financial strain mounted. Despite his earlier successes, Aldred’s expenditures on the estate—including the construction of the grand Oldmont Building in Montreal—began to weigh heavily. By the early 1940s, he was overwhelmed with debt, unable to sustain the estate’s enormous upkeep. His art collections and furnishings were sold off, and in 1942, Omstead was auctioned in foreclosure, marking the end of an era.