d'Architecture Canada - SEXTONdigital

THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE IN CANADA
LE JOURNAL DE LA SOCIETE POUR L'ETUDE DE L'ARCHITECTURE AU CANADA
The Societv for the Study o f A r-c hitecture in Can:1da is .1 lea rned society
d evoted to the examin.1ti on o f the ro le of the built e nviro nment in
Ca nad iil n society. Its membe rship incl udes structural and IJndsc

Luc Noppen 2 Presentation I Presentation
Alena Prochazka 3 L'eperon sur la pointe a Calliere
hommage a un edifice disparu ou
contextualite reinventee ?
Une analyse genetique du projet
de l'architecte DanS. Hanganu
Isabelle Caron 14 Des memoires a ,, excaver , :
interpreter la presence des carrieres
de pierre grise a Montreal
Venetia Stewart 29 Justice Done: The Restitution of
the Frontenac County Court House
within the Classical Tradition
Nicole Denis 35 Un plan Martellange pour
l'Hopital General de Quebec
en 1700 ?
Yona Jebrak 41 Proteger le patrimoine
montrealais : textes internationaux
et gestion municipale
Daniel Millette 45 Re-Building Memories:
On the Reconstruction of a
"Traditional" Longhouse
Susan D. Bronson 51 Birming Residence,
West Vancouver
Volu111c I To111C 27, 111111/(;ros I 1111111l7crs 3, 4 (2002)

PRESENTATION
Le present numero d'Architectu re Ca nada est entierement
consacre a des travaux de jeunes chercheurs qui temoignent
de la vitalite des programmes de formation en histoire de !'architecture
et en conservation et mise en valeur du patrim oine au
pays. Son contenu decoule aussi en bonne partie des travaux du
27e Congres aru1uel de la Societe pour !'etude de !'architecture
au Canada qui s'est tenu a Vancouver en mai 2002, tribune qui a
vu bon nombre de nouvelles figures fa ire honneur a nos disciplines.
Pour une societe savante comme la notre, la releve est importante
et, dans cette voie, il est evident que les liens de plus en
plus etroits qui se tissent entre notre congres am1uel et notre
revue sont de bon augure pour l'aveni r.
A la section analyses, Alena Prochazka interroge les documents
du projet etabli par l'architecte DanS. Hanganu pour !'edifice
de l'Eperon du Musee d 'archeologie et d'histoire de
Montreal sur Ia poi nte a Ca lliere, dans le Vieux-Montreal. Prod
ame fig ure emblematique de Ia montrealite architecturale
contemporaine des son apparition, ce monument n'a pas fini
d'in teresser les chercheurs, soucieux de decoder Ia genese d'une
figure qui, chose rare, fait l'unanimite. Un deuxieme texte, signe
par Isabelle Caron, retrace l'epopee des dernieres ca rrieres de
cette mythique " pierre grise » qui a sobrement colore le paysage
construit montrealais. Tout en apportant maints details sur le
materiau - qualifie depuis les annees 1970 d 'ingredient principal
de la « montreali te » en architecture historique -, l'auteure propose
aussi (( d 'excaver >) les memoires de l'indush·ie de ]'extraction
de cette pierre et de les mettre en valeur dans
I' arrondissement Rosemont-Petite-Pa trie.
La section des essais s'ouvre sur le texte de Veneti a Stewart,
laurea te d u Prix Martin-Eli Wei! 2002. II s'agit d'un exercice methodique
de restitution du palais de justice de Kingston fo nde
sur une analyse critique du batiment confronte a ses sources documentaires.
Pui s, avec autant de methode mais aussi bea ucoup
d 'intuition, Nicole Denis nous propose de relire l'Hopital General
de Quebec comme un exemple d 'utilisation d 'un p la n type inspire
de l'ceuvre arch itecturale d 'Etienne Martellange. Yona
Jebra k encha1ne avec un essai sur !'influence - beaucoup plus
tenue qu'on ne le croit generalement - des textes internationaux
(chartes, conventions, etc.) sur la gestion municipale du patrimoine,
en prenant pour exemple le cas montrea lais. Daniel
Millette clot la section avec un essai, bien apprecie lors de sa presentation
au congres de Vancouver, sur Ia (re)construction d 'une
maison longue traditionnelle a Tsawwassen.
Enfin, toujours grace a l'aimable collaboration de Pares Canada,
nous publions !'excellent ra pport sur la maison B. C. Binning
de Vancouver O uest prepare par Susan D. Bronson pour Ia
Commission des lieux et monuments historiques du Canada.
Luc Noppen
PRESENTATION
T
his issue of Architecture Canada is entirely dedicated to the
works of young researchers who display the dynamics of the
training programmes in history of architecture and in the country's
heritage conserva tion and development. A good part of its
content derives from the activities of the 27th Ann ual Congress
of the Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada held in
Vancouver in May 2002, a forum where a number of ne\V faces
certainly did justice to our disciplines. Emerging professionals
are very important to a learned society such as ours; hence, the
increasingly cl oser ties between our Annual Congress and our
journal are a very good omen for the future.
ln the Analyses section, Alena Prochazka questions the literature
of architect DanS. Hanganu's p roject for the Eperon building
of the Montreal Museum of Archaeology and History in
Pointe-a-Calliere, Old Montreal. Declared emblem of the contemporary
architec tural montreality when it was built, it will remain
of a monument of interest for researchers concerned with
decrypting the genesis of a unanimously acclaimed-which is a
rare thing-figure. A second text, signed by Isabelle Caron, relates
the epic tale of the last quarries of that mythica l "grey stone" that
soberl y coloured the architectural landscape of Montreal.
Through numerous details on that building materia l-quali fied
since the seventies as the main ingredient of the historic architecture
"montreality"-the writer also proposes to "excavate" and
highlight the memories of the extracti on ind ustry of the grey
stone in the Rosemont-Petite-Patrie borough.
The Essays section opens with the tex t of Venetia Stewart, the
2002 Ma rtin Eli Wei! Prize wim1er. It is a methodi cal restitution
exercise of the Kingston County Court House, based on a critical
path analysis of the building confronted with its documentary
sources. Then with a grea t sense of intuition added to just as
much methodologica l rigour, Nicole Deni s p roposes a new lecture
of the Hop ital General de Quebec as an exa mple of the uti ­
lization of a standard plan inspired by the architectura l works of
Etiem1e Martel lange. Yona Jebrak, using Montrea l as an exa mple,
follows with an essay on the much thinner than usually believed
influence of internati onal documents (charts, agreements, etc.)
on heritage municipal management. Daniel Millette concludes
that secti on with an essay of his much appreciated conference at
the Va ncouver congress, on the reconstruction of a tra ditional
longhouse in Tsawwassen.
Finally, through the kin d and steady collaboration of Parks
Canada, we p ublish Susan D. Bronson's excellent report on the
B.C. Binning House in West Vancouver, prepared for the Historic
Si tes and Monuments Board of Canada.
Luc Noppen

Alena Prochazka
L'eperon sur Ia pointe a Callh!re :
hommage a un edifice disparu ou
contextualite reinventee ?
Une analyse gimetique du projet de
l'architecte Dan S. Hanganu
Ill. 1. L'Eperon, un batiment con9u par l'architecte Dan S. Hanganu , vue habituelle de I' angle.
(Photo Michael Chen)
Alena Prochazka, M. Arch., est chargee de cours ii /'Ecole d'architecture de
l'Universite de Montreal eta !'Ecole de design de /'Universite du Quebec ii
Monln?al; elle est egalemenl candidate au doct01·at au programme de Doctoral
e11 etudes urbaines de /'Universite du Quebec a Montreal et associee ala Chaire
de recherche du Canada en patrimoine urbain de l'UQAM.
jSSAC I jSEAC 27, n·~ 3, 4 (2002) ; 3-14.
Depuis sa construction en 1992, le batiment principal du
Musee d'archeologie et d'histoire de Montreal Pointe-a-Calliere,
con

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n ~ 3. 4 >
Comment l'a rchitecte a-t-il mene sa reflexion pour ainsi atteindre
un but a Ia fois exigeant et empreint de modestie? Dans une
entrevue realisee un an apres !'assertion clairvoyante de Morisset,
que nous venons de citer, Dan Hanganu revele les objectifs
qu'il s'etait donnes pour le projet :
Le principal geste que j'ai voulu faire a Pointe-a-Calliere en est un
de continuite: en erigeant le projet sur le cimetiere de 1643, sur les
batiments Papineau, sur le batiment Berthelet et enfin sur le Royal
In surance, j'acceptais, de maniere symbolique, que d'autres puissent
un jour construire au-dessus de ce que nous avons bati'.
Pourtant, tous les articles publies sur le projet, qui portent
avant tout sur l'Eperon, sont unanimes quand ils expliquent Ia
forme globale du batiment en correlation avec celle de !'edifice
de Ia Royal In surance Co. (1861) qui lui a precede sur le si te, et
dont I'Eperon abrite les vestiges. En effet, pose sur les fondations
de !'edifice qui a occupe ce lieu historique avant sa demolition
vers 1950, a Ia suite d'un incendie, l'Eperon en conserve le gabarit
general: un corps de batiment contraint par son site triangulaire
domine a ]'angle par une tour hors ceuvre". Sans conteste,
Ill. 4. L'edifice de Ia Royal Insurance Co., plan masse :
un dessin poeM de forme lriangulaire, 1890.
(Archives nationates du Canada, Ottawa. NMC-14003)
!'evidence de cette parente morphologique globale appara'it au
premier examen du nouveau batiment 0 •
De telles interpretations du batiment qui portent sur !'appreciation
de son aspect materiel, apparent, sont accompagnees
de documents graphiques - dessins et photos - venant illustrer
les propos des commentateurs. Dans les articles, on reproduira
des dessins de presentation realises par l'equipe de l'architecte
(plans, elevations, coupes), on aura recours aux documents
photographiques d'archives ou aux cliches pris pour Ia circonstance.
A !'occasion, on y fera redessiner des epures d'architecture
dans le but implicite de montrer plus fidelement le batiment
tel que construit' 0 U s'agit en quelque sorte de representations

Ill. 5. F a~ade ouest de redifice de Ia Royal Insurance
Co. refermant Ia figure d'un square.
(Foundling Street looking East to Custom House.
Musee McCord d'histoire canadienne. Montreal.
Photographie George Parks. ca 1895, MP-2856)
Comme le rappelle Grignon",
Derrida a montre - en developpa11t
sa theorie du signe qui examinait
comment Ia tradition philosophique
occidentale a defendu !'idee de l'exteriorite
du signe par rapport a ce
qu'il represente - que Ia representation
exerce une forme de contr6le
sur !'objet represente. Ainsi, Ia
disponibilite des images de !'edifice
de Ia Royallnsurance Co. et de l'Eperon
- prises photographiques de Ia
volumetrie vue de !'angle (ill. 1 et 2),
plan masse montrant Ia volumetrie
triangulaire en poche (ill. 3 et 4) -
auront pu suggerer leur parente et donner lieu a ces interpretations
de premiere heure. Mais qu'en est-il apres un examen non
pas factuel et global du projet, mais davantage projectuel de cette
realisation? Une analyse tenant compte de Ia genese du projet et
examinant certains documents plus inedits de !'edifice disparu,
dont il existe pourtant une trace bien concrete sous forme de vestiges
des fondations, a permis de reveler une interpretation differente.
Nous proposons dans cet article d 'examiner, au-deJa d'un
premier constat ne faisant etat que de l'apparente similitude
entre les deux « couches historiques 13 » , ce qu'il en est du dialogue
plus subtil entre le nouveau batiment et son contexte bati, a
Ia fois historique et actuel et en termes des figures et des strategies
projectuelles.
La critique genetique et Ia definition de « l'image
matricielle ))
Dans l'annee qui a sui vi !'inauguration du musee, nous avons pu
proceder a un inventaire photographique d'esquisses et d'autres
documents qui ont servi Iars de Ia conception du projet (croquis,
dessins, propos consignes, maquettes et tout document relatant
Ia recherche sur les precedents). Relativement aux idees et aux
decisions de design qui ont fonde ce projet qui, par Ia suite, devait
acquerir une place d 'importance dans le patrimoine bati recent
de Montreal, ces documents revelent leur valeur en tant
qu'archives du patrimoine culture!. En ce sens, nous souscrivons
a !'approche de Ia " critique genetique ,, qui s'avere actuellement
l'une des voies les plus fertiles dans Ia recherche architecturale
relati ve au projet. Ayant pour origine le champ litteraire et privilegiant
Ia tra nsdisciplinarite, Ia critique genetique s'interesse a Ia
portee ideell e et culture lle des modes de representation en archi-
Ill. 6. Dessin poche mettant en contraste les pleins et les vides de Ia trame batie (etude du
contexte).
(Archives de l'agence Dan S. Hanganu , architecte)
Ill. 7. Croquis conceptuel · une image emblematique qui prefigure le projet tel que realise .
(Archives de l'agence Dan S. Hanganu, architecte)
5

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n 3. 4 . Ce sont ces indices ma teriels [notes, croquis, esquisses,
maquettes, plans, dessins techniques, etc. ] que Ia genetique
[ .. . ] se propose de retrouver et de comprendre".
Preoccupation propre a Ia fin du XX'· siecle, !'etude des
modes de representation, et du dessin d'architecture en particulier,
est !'objet d 'un interet de recherche relativement recent''.
Tout en ouvrant un rega rd critique sur les outils de genese du
6

Ill. 13. Epure montrant le contraste entre le schema
du plan des vestiges et celui retenu pour rEperon .
(Arch1ves de l'agence Dan S . Hanganu, archltecte) ,,
.. "'
•i
projet, les documents graphiques
projectuels - dessins, croquis et autres
representations et descriptionsrevE:.Jent
leur importance propre en
ce qu'ils peuvent contribuer, dans
certains cas, a formuler les criteres de
!'appreciation des projets d 'a rchitecture
en tant que patrimoLne culture!.
En effet, une analyse attentive des
documents qui temoignent de Ia refl
exion architecturale menee par l'architecte
et son equipe au cours du
processus de genese du projet contribue
a en devoiler le sens. La genese
de I' idee contient Ia formule qui permettra
d 'expliciter le projet sous sa
forme aboutie.
Les documents graphiques projectuels
- dessins, croquis et autres
representations et descriptions - revelent
leur importance propre quand
il s'agit d 'apprecier Ia pertinence
d 'un projet, comme cela peut etre le
cas dans un jury de selecti on de
concours d 'architecture, ou quand il
s'agit d'en apprecier Ia contribution
symbolique et culturelle pour !'attribution
de prix d 'excellence et autres
selections de merite, OU encore pour
en comprendre Ia contribution au
patrimoine culture) d 'une localite. A
ce propos, parlant des concours d 'a r­
chitecture, Edith Girard souligne
!'importance de presenter - et de ce
fait de comprendre - le processus
idee! autant que le resultat forme!
afi n que Ia va leur intrinseque du
projet soit demontree:
Pour suggerer le sens du projet et
en trainer !'adhesion du jury, je crois q u'il faut toujours en reveni r a
l'histoire de Ia conception. Au bout du com pte, !'argumenta tion Ia
plus efficace reside dans le dispositif intellectuel qui est a Ia source
meme du projet: ce qu'il s'agi t d 'exposer, c'est le processus- Ia coherence,
Ia legitimite, l'ori ginalite de Ia demarche- qui, en se formant,
a servi a fabriquer le projet'".
j .
-·
.. \
___ r
I I ~ ,
Ill. 14. Croquis du concept de Ia cour interieure degagee . une sorte d'agora ouverte sur les ves tiges souterrains en contrebas.
(Archives de l'agence Dan S . Hanganu . architecte)
pi
Des le debut du processus d'elaboration du projet s'etablit
une sorte d 'idee lllafricielle" qui contient Ia resolution initiale du
probleme d'organisation general e de l'espace, une sorte de vision
primitive du projet. Cette derniere demeure consignee dans
des croquis et des dessins dont se sert le concepteur pour communiquer
ses idees a son equipe ou pour tout simplement nourrir
sa reflexion propre. Ces croquis initiaux ne seraient pas que
4
I
7

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n~ 3. 4 (2002l
Ill. 15. Schema illustrant Ia solution definitive.
(Archives de l'agence Dan S. Hanganu, architecte)
G.
7 8
Ill. 16. Plan de l"etage inferieur. tel que construit.
(Plans redessines par Nicolas Roque! et Caroline Magloire)
•_ ·a - • -
.,.. ijl ill
4f
• I. _'
I__ / '"' ~
, I
'J
des bribes d'idees sans portee majeure ;
ils representeraient des idees-images
pregnantes dont il s'agit, au cours du
processus d'elaboration du projet, d'etablir
Ia pertinence et Ia portee rationnelle
en ra pport a Ia resolution des contraintes
du projet.
Comme Girard, nous considerons
que les ca racteristiques de !'idee-image
de depart sont composees de principes
fondamenta ux (sans d oute d'ordre
ethique) et de suggestions nees d'une
interpretation instinctive du site. Cette
interpretation se traduit en quelques
principes fondamentaux frequemment
appeles concepts du projet. Ainsi, dans
!'approche que nous preconisons, le dessin
est con

Ill. 17. La halle du marche aux poissons du
che Sainte-Anne,
tectoniques, programmatiques)'9.
Le concept de Ia dualite
de

JSSAC I JSEAC 27, n ~ 3, 4

Ill. 22 et 23. L"epaisseur des parois est visible. soulignee par des percements qui permettent
de reveler leur plasticite .
(Archives de l'agence Dan S. Hanganu , architecte)
trouve parmi les « rebuts , du long processus de genese des idees
maltresses du projet- resume deux observations caracteristiques
du contexte, qui devaient devenir les idees-images (idees matricielles)
qui ont guide le projet de sa forme jusqu'a !'elaboration
de certains details architectoniques. Sur ce poche qui met en
contraste les pleins et les vides de la trame batie, apparaissent
clairement les evidements dans le corps des !lots massifs. C'est
l'idee de la cour interieure ouverte, sorte d'espace vide entoure
de murs en epaisseur, habitables. Apparait aussi l'idee du mur
massif et muni de percements constituant le front de mer sur Ia
rue de Ia Commune. C'est ainsi que, des les premiers croquis
conceptuels, les deux idees ont pu etre rassemblees dans une
image emblematique qui prefigure le projet tel que realise (ill. 7).
Au long du processus devant fixer le concept general du
projet, on peut suivre ala trace- a l'aide de dessins et de croquis
- ces deux idees. On les verra se heurter de front a une troisieme :
celle de Ia figure du plan triangulaire qui caracterise !'edifice de
la Royal Insurance Co., et de sa symetrie selon un axe partageant
l'angle aigu (ill. 8). Cet axe de symetrie magnifie par Ia tour d'angle
est veritablement l'idee maitresse du projet de John William
Hopkins. L'orientation de cet axe amene !'edifice a faire face au
fleuve suivant cet angle, prolongeant son parvis vers une rampe
qui descendait aux quais a l'epoque et qui est placee dans cette
meme orientation (ill. 9). Les images des illustrations 10, 11 et 12
sont les temoins des diverses superpositions de ces trois idees
dans !'elaboration du projet de Hanganu: son equipe s'est clairement
interrogee sur la pertinence de reprendre le plan des vestiges
anciens que le nouveau batiment devait abriter en vue de
leur mise en valeur. Finalement, l'architecte opte pour une figure
differente (ill. 13) : un plan triangulaire, certes, car contraint
par son site, mais qui privilegie cependant le dialogue avec la
ville, le present. En effet, Ia disposition du batiment, regie par
son plan, epousera le caractere des ilots urbains environnants. Le
projet visera !'inscription dans !'experience urbaine propre au
Vieux-Montreal : de l'alternance des pleins et des vides que le
flaneur decouvrira, attire par autant de breches et d'interstices,
au gre de sa promenade.
Apres un patient cheminement de va-et-vient, inherent a
toute demarche de design, emerge resolument le concept prefigure
dans une esquisse primitive (ill. 7). C'est le concept de Ia
cour interieure degagee, sorte d'agora ouverte sur les vestiges
11

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n • 3. 4 (destines a
desservir l' espace
« servi >> de !'agora).
La paroi qui
donne sur Ia place
d'Youville (anciennement
Ia rue
Foundling), hierarchiquement
secondaire
et peu
massive, enferme
dans son epaisseur
des circulations
verticales.
Dans cette
hierarchisation des
de ux parois se
trouve inscrite Ia
seconde idee inspiree
par le regard
que l'architecte a
pose sur le contexte
urbain : c'est !'idee
du mur massif et muni de percements constituant le front de
mer sur Ia rue de Ia Commune, tel que present dans les premiers
croquis (ill. 6). La paroi qui d01me sur Ia rue de Ia Commune,
d'un seul pan et plus massive, est priorisee. A noter encore une
fois Ia difference avec le projet de John William Hopkins. Les
murs lateraux de !'edifice disparu etaient semblables et s'arrimaient
plutot a l'idee d'un rythme en regard de Ia largeur type
des batiments environnants (composition tripartite des fa

IlL 26. L'€:paisseur de Ia pa roi est ressentie en deambulant a meme repaisseur comme sur le
sommet de Ia parol en une sorte de widow·s walk flanquee d'une colonnade massive. donnant
!'impression d'6tre excavee de repaisseur de Ia paroi.
(Arch1ves de l'agence Dan S. Hanganu. archi!ecte)
de Ia paroi en une sorte de widow's walk" flanquee d 'une colonnade
massive, dormant !'impression d'etre excavee de l'epaisseur
de Ia paroi" (ill. 26).
Conclusion : une contextualite reinventee
Dans Ia composition du projet de Dan Hanganu, ni symetrie
ni bloc plein caracteristiques de !'edifice de Ia Royal Insurance.
Entierement different de ce dernier dans son rapport avec le
Vieux-Montreal, l'Eperon offre un dialogue tout en subtilite avec
son contexte, tout en imposant son caractere contemporain. Remarquable
par son urbanite, le projet actualise les figures et les
strategies typiques des lieux". Cependant, ces choix de l'architecte
sont enchasses dans le processus creatif pendant lequel il
developpe, au long de sa carriere, les caracteristiques de son
ceuvre. Nous avons pu d'ailleurs relever, au nombre des documents
qui constituaient les archives de ce projet, des cliches de
voyages racontant, en d'autant de precedents realises ailleurs, !'idee-image
de parois habitables, de murs revelant leur epaisseur
grace a differents dispositifs de design que l'architecte integre
dans son bagage intellectuel et creatif'S. Ainsi, !'analyse des dessins
et des documents servant ala conception, qui donnent acces
a Ia genese des idees guidant le projet, permet d'expliquer lebatiment
realise de maniere documentee.
Nous avons montre comment le merite de ce projet (la demarche
de l'architecte) et du batiment (sa realisation) reside principalement
en ce qu'il porte les references au contexte et a
l'histoire a une echelle resolument contemporaine. Ses strategies
et ses figures, imaginees dans une attitude d'invention respectueuse
plut6t que d'emulation ou de citation par rapport a son
voisinage historique, reinventent !'idee de contextualite dans un
district charge historiquement et symboliquement, le Vieux­
Montreal.
Au-dela de !'interet que revet ce projet particulier, que nous
traitons ici a titre d'etude de cas, une analyse genetique permet
d'apprecier non seulement Ia qualite du batiment, mais egalement
sa place dans Ia production architecturale contemporaine
locale. En effet, retracer les idees-images qui circulent dans les
projets qui marquent le caractere d'w1e ville et constater les differentes
materialisations au gre des iterations multiples contribueraient
a Ia comprehension du lent processus de construction
d'un patrimoine culture! bati a travers les strates historiques
d'une ville, que celles-ci soient plus ou moins recentes, voire encore
en gestation.
Notes
1. Par le terme analyse genetique,
nous entendons une approche
qui se situe a mi-chemin entre
Ia critique genetique (une analyse
discursive des dessins d'architecture
qui, a l'instar du champ litteraire
d'ott e!Je tire sa source,
s'interesse aux traces du processus
de conception en tant que complement
de l'ceuvre architecturale
comme finalite) et Ia morphogenese
du tissu urbai n (qui appelle !'etude
des transformations des
formes baties). Dans notre approche,
!'analyse genetique des documents
retrac;a nt !'evolution des
idees et des formes au cours du
projet d'architecture est plut6t un
instrument methodologique qui
sert a !'etude des significations inscri
tes dans le paysage construit.
lei, un batiment (le projet et sa rea
lisation) n'est pas considere
comme une ceuvre independante,
mais plut6t comme l' un des elements
du tissu urbain dont Ia
continuite construit ce paysage.
2. Equipe de design : Thomas
Schweitzer, Luc Plante, Gilles Prud'Homme.
3. Outre les prix d'excellence
rec;us, le Musee Pointe-a-Calliere
(sic) figure parmi les projets selectionnes
pour !'exposition Le nouveau
Montreal : projels urbains
111arquants dans le Vieux-Montreal
presentes au Centre de design de
I'Universite du Quebec a Montreal
(commissaire Marc-Henri Choko)
13

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n" 3. 4 > . Dan Hanganu de repondre :
« [ ... ] il est evident que toutes mes
collections de souvenirs, qu'elles
viennent d'Europe ou d'ailleurs,
ont ete mises a profit >> .
14

Ill. 1. Chas. E. Goad. Plan du quartier Saint-Louis du Mile End , 1890.
(ANC, Ottawa , NMC 16297/80)
Isabelle Caron
Des memoires « a excaver' »
interpreter Ia presence
des carrieres de pierre grise
a Montreal
.
Isabelle Caron est doctorante dans /e cadre du progm111111e il1teruniversitaire
en histoire de /'art , ii I'Universite du Quebec ii Montreal. El/e est associl'e ii Ia
Clwire de recherche du Canada en patri111oine urbain.
]SSAC I jS EAC 27, n'" 3, 4 (2002) ; 15-28.
Le mot > -au singulier comme au pluriel- est en
usage dans le milieu de !'intervention patrimoniale. On !'a
prefere a >, trop empese, trop lourd de sens, trop universitaire
peut-etre pour un usage promotionnel de ce milieu de
reflexion'. Les requalifications de l'environnement bati, avant de
devenir constructions, renovations ou encore mises en valeur,
passent par une etape de reflexion sur leur valeur de memoire et
leur potentiel d'exploitation - sorte de filtre mnemonique - ,
avant que l'acte sur leur devenir, soit. Un tel arret est devenu
passage oblige depuis les annees 1980, a l'instar de Ia France,
apres qu'un long processus historique l'eut fait na'itre et developpe.
Et fort heureusement, diront les partisans de l'histoirememoire
de Montreal, qui se souviendront des annees 1970,
annees noires si !'on considere les pertes en edifices historiques
detruits, mais fonda trices pour Ia conscientisation a Ia conservation
du patrimoine urbain montrealais.
Montreal, dans son arrondissement Rosemont-Petite-Patrie,
est a un tournant decisif de son evolution urbaine et de multiples
reflexions sont en cours sur son avenir. II va de soi que le
passage par l'etape d'evaluation ait ete entrepris avant les actes
de construction-modification du paysage bati. Ainsi, dans le
quartier montrealais de Petite-Patrie, traverse par le boulevard
Rosemont, les habitants verront de nouvelles constructions s'eriger
a partir de mars 2003' . Le projet de regroupement de trois
h6pitaux (Saint-Luc, Notre-Dame et H6tel-Dieu) en un tres
grand Centre hospitalier de l'universite de Montreal (CHUM)
constitue un projet majeur' qui transformera Ia vie quotidienne
15

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ·· 3, 4 C2002l
_j L_l ;___j [__J L_J LJU
Ill. 2. Chas. E. Goad. Plans des quartiers Saint-Denis et Saint-Louis du Mile End .
1914.
(ANC , Ottawa. NMC-1401 3, 320/356)
des residants- notamment en raison de l'arrivee d'un nouveau
groupe d 'usagers, celui des services hospitaliers, qui remplacera
les actuels utilisateurs du garage de Ia Societe de transport de
Montreal (STM) et des ateliers de Ia Ville de Montreal- ; consequemment,
Ia caracterisation de leur environnement urbain, Ia

Ill. 3. « Bridge Above the Quarries ,>. The Canadian Illustrated
News, 3 avril 1880.
(BNO. Aibums Massicotte 3· 192-d)
I.
Ce n'est que depuis Ia construction
d 'un deuxieme pont par-dessus Ia rue
Saint-Denis, en 1971 - notamment
grace au reamenagement de l'llot du
metro Rosemont-, que Ia rue des Carrieres
retrouve son extension de 1922;
a cette occasion, elle est prolongee vers
!'ouest pour rejoindre Ia rue Alma,
dans !'axe de Ia rue Henri-Julien. La
carte de 1879 de Hopkins (ill. 5) montre
Ia rue rattachee a Ia cote de Ia Visitation
avec laquelle elle se confond.
Par ailleurs, cette rue des Carrieres
est renovee en 1973 et a nouveau
en 1982. Quelques viaducs, avec ou
sans acces pietonnier, sont ajoutes lors des renovations des annees
1970, sans compromettre l'idyllique parcours. Le train emprunte
egalement le sentier puisqu'un espace parallele lui est
menage cote sud de Ia voie carrossable.
Des carrieres de belle pierre grise
On situe Ia premiere carriere de pierre dans Ia partie septentrionale
de l'lle, au cceur du developpement de ce qui etait autrefois
Ville-Marie". La premiere carriere exploitee au cours du XIX· siecle
eta it cependant sise a Ia racine de Ia rue des Carrieres; des extractions
ont aussi ete faites pres du Mont-Royal (ill. 6 et 7)".
L'histoire detaillee des carrieres - et celle de Ia ,, pierre
grise » - de Montreal reste a fa ire (ill. 8)u. On sa it cependant que
des Ia fin du XVIII' siecle, des gisements de pierre calcaire sont
decouverts et exploites sur l'ile. Au debut du XIX·· siecle sont ouvertes
les premieres carrieres de Ia cote Saint-Louis, notamment
celle qui se trouvait a Ia hauteur de !'actuelle rue Duluth (ancienne
rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste'') et qui est responsable du developpement
du premier village Sa int-Jean-Baptiste. Ces premieres
carrieres ont ete epuisees sous la pression d ' une demande tres
forte, notamment de 1820 a 1860, quand cette pierre etait Ia
norme de Ia construction dans les quartiers bourgeois. Les carriers''
et les tailleurs de pierre vont suivre les veines et y ouvrir
des puits de plus en plus amples, exploites grace a une machinerie
eta un outillage qui se developpent. Un inventaire, dresse en
1913, denombre huit groupes de carrieres sur l'lle de Montreal
(ill. 9). La carte des Fortification Surveys de 1866-1868 ainsi qu'une
carte de synthese dressee en 1913 dmment un apen;:u general
de !'emplacement des carrieres du groupe du Mile-End dans Ia
seconde moitie du XIX·' siecle (ill. 10).
Ill. 4. Chas. E. Goad. Cotes Saini-Louis et de Ia Visitation. 1890.
(ANC , Ottawa , NMC 16297i82)
La conjugaison d'un ensemble de causes explique Ia fermeture
des carrieres dans les annees 1930. D'abord, des Ia fin du
XIX ·· siecle, le materiau est devenu trop coC1teux. En consequence,
en raison de ses couts d 'extraction, mais surtout des couts lies
a sa taille, Ia pierre naturelle ne peut plus concurrencer Ia pierre
artificielle dont !'usage est consacre, des 1910, sur les immeubles
du centre-ville. En meme temps, les veines de pierre que !'on exploitait
sur la cote Saint-Louis sont largement epuisees vers 1900
et, des les annees 1910, les carriers montrealais en sont reduits a
ne produire que Ia pierre concassee, surtout utile aux melangeurs
a beton et aux travaux de voirie de Ia municipalite. Les carrieres
plus recentes, celles de Villera y, ont produit de Ia pierre de
construction au tout debut du XX< siecle, mais ne produisent plus
que de Ia pierre concassee a l'oree de Ia Premiere Guerre.
17

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n 3. 4 . The Canadian Illustrated News .
29 octobre 1870.
(BNQ. Albums E.-Z. Massicotte. B-1 38-a)
Mile-End
Le chemin des Carrieres s'est developpe de fac;on organique sur
Ia cote Saint-Louis, en suivant les depots rocheux qui livraient de
Ia pierre de construction de qualite. II existe d'ailleurs une bonne
documentation sur Ia composition geologique du sous-sol de
l'ile de Montreal"' et plusieurs etudes ont deja documente les
qualites de Ia pierre de construction".
La totalite de l'lle de Montreal est formee de depots rocheux
du systeme ordovicien et compte des couches de calcaires de Ia
formation Trenton, de Ia formation Chazy et de Ia formation
Black River. Or, l'lle de Montreal est parcourue par une veine de
calcaire Black River - et ses trois composantes : le Pamelia, le
Lowville et le Leray- et elle serpente sous le plateau Mont-Royal
vers Villeray, tout en etant contenue entre deux failles qui ont
cree un bouleversement rendant le Trenton, le Chazy et le Black
River disponibles dans un meme puits, a des profondeurs variees
(ill. 11).
En 1913, William A. Parks depose au ministere des Mines a
Ottawa un volumineux rapport sur les pierres de construction et
d 'ornement extraites au Quebec. II decrit les quatre carrieres du
groupe du Mile-End :
The area bounded by Mount Roya l Avenue, Papineau Avenue and
Beaubien Street, to the south, east and north respectively, and more
irregularly to the west by a line reaching almost to St. Denis Street
may be regarded as a quarrying area in the Trenton formation from
which immense amounts of stone have been removed in the past.
Most of the old quarries have long been abandoned, chiefly because
the stone had been removed over the entire property controlled by
the owner to a depth beyond which profitable quarrying was impossible.
Many of the other quarries, particularly in the vicinity of
St. Denis Street, have been filled in and built on. This region has
produced a large portion of the high grad e Montreal limestone, and
at present it shares with the Vi lleray group the distinction of yield ­
ing the only cut stone within the city limits.
0. Mnrfinm11 & Fils
This p roperty occupies the area between Carriere, Ga rnier and Marquette
Streets and extends north almost to Beaubien street. It contains
30 acres in all, most of which has been quarried. At the south
end of the property, adj oining Carriere Street about 50 yards still remain
throughout the whole thickness of the section, but a considerably
greater area of the good building beds which occur towards the
bottom of the section still remains.
The company is now cutting stone for the splendid Maisonneuve
Market. The product of the quarry may also be seen in the Engineer
's Club ; the Bank of Ottawa, Park Avenue, and in St. Edouard
Church at the corner of St. Denis and Beaubien Streets. In this latter
building the rock-face work is marred by black skins in places and
by the occasional presence of blocks with muddy streaks. The hammered
stone shows sca ttered imperfections in the form of wavy
dark lines and an occasional pluck. On the whole, this building is a
very creditable exa mple illustrating the excl usive use of stone from
Martineau's quarry.
Joseph Gravel
This property lies immediately to the west of that d escribed above
and has been largely quarried over to a depth of about 15 feet in the
upper thin beds. The quarry is now being extended to the south and
the east towards Chambord Street. Old quarries occupy an extensive
area south from here and across the railway to the Limoges
quarry, which will be described later. The thin upper stone has been
removed for the most part, but a large supply of building stone lies
under the present flood of the quarry. At present only the upper
stone is taken and it is all crushed. Twelve men are employed and a
small crusher operated by stea m power is at work.
The quarries of the Mi le End group extend through old workings
south and east to below Laurier avenue. From the present point of
view only one other quarry is of importance, that of Olivier Limo-
18

Ill. 7. « Sketches in Montreal Quarries >>, The Canadian 11/us/rated News. 17 mars 1877 .
(BNO. Albums Massicotte, A-50-a)
Ill. 8. Carte des emplacements approximatifs des carrieres a Montreal entre 1730 et 1805, dessinee
en 1982.
(Centre Canadien d'Architecture . dossier du Groupe de recherche sur Ia pierre grise)
ges, but the Montrea l City Corporation operates for crushed stone
to the west of Limoges.
Olivier Li11roges
The property consists of a considerable area bounded by Brebeuf,
Dauphin and Carriere Streets and Laurier Avenue. There is also a
north-east wing extending across Chambord Street to Ga rnier
Street. A large portion of this property has been quarried over, particularly
with regard to the upper stone. At present, the extraction
of the building stone is being p rosecuted along the eastern face and
it will soon be removed to the street line. In the northeast wing both
sets of beds are being exploited.
At the time of a second visit to this quarry in 1913 operations had
been suspended.
Montreal City Corporation
The city's operations are entirely for crushed stone and in consequence
do not fall properly within the scope of this work. The corporation
controls a strip of land west of joseph Gravel and also west
and south of Limoges to beyond La urier Avenue" .
En 1935, c'est M. F. Goudge qui fait rapport au meme ministere
sur l'etat des carrieres. A cette epoque, les carrieres localisees
au sud de Ia voie ferree n'existent plus et le geologue decrit les
deux carrieres de Ia Petite-Patrie, situees dans le quartier Montcalm:
Papineau Street Quarry of Martineau Fils Ltee. (ill. 12)
This company operates two quarries within the City of Montreal,
the other being in Rosemount Ward and d escribed on page 104.
The Papineau Street property, 30 acres in area, is southwest of Papinea
u Street and north of the Canadian Pacific Rail way tracks. It
covers most of the area between Carriere, Garnier, Marquette and
Bea ubien Streets. Originally the quarry had a length of 1,800 feet
parallel to Papineau Street, but recently Rosemont Boulevard has
been extended across the quarry, and the fill required for this road
has di vided the quarry into two parts. The southeastern end is not
being worked at present and quarry operations are being confined
to the northeastern end which is 1,000 feet long (northwest-southeast),
200 to 300 fee t wide and 60 feet deep. The quarry can be extended
for 400 feet to the northwest before the p roperty limit is
reached . Formerly this quarry was extensively worked for building
stone, but now the entire output is converted in crush stone.
The quarry is worked in 10 to 15 foot benches, with jackhammers
being used for drilling. After blasting, the stone is loaded by hand
into motor trucks and horse-d rawn pump ca rts, and hauled up an
inclined roadway to the crushing plant, which is situated at the
eastern side of the quarry near the north end. The plant has a capacity
of 80 tons of crushed stone per hour. The product is deli vered
by motor truck to vari ous parts of the city.
Montreal Quarry Ltd. (ill. 13 et 14)
The quarry owned by this company is only a short distance to the
west of the Papinea u Street quarry and practica ll y the sa me strata
are exposed in both quarries. When examined in 1934 this quarry
was not in operation and was partly full of water. The crushing
plant has a ca pacity of 100 tons per hour'".
19

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n"' 3. 4 C2002l
II!. 9. Carte des groupes de carrieres de Montreal
(Ex!raile de W1Jiiam A. Parks. Rapport sur /es pierres de construction et d 'omemem du Canada. vo/_ 1/1. Province
de Quebec. Ottawa, lmprimerie du gouvernement, 1926- Rapport du Ministere des Mines. Ollawa. n' 389. fig . 3)
Ill. 10. Detail du releve de rile de Montreal. H.S . Sitwell. 1868-1869.
{Fortification Surveys. BNO. TRBF0031)
La fin des carrieres du Mile-End
Lorsque Montreal aborde la Crise des annees 1930, il subsiste,
dans les limites de !a ville, quinze carrieres, dont deux dans Petite-Patrie
et huit dans Rosemont. C'est dire combien, dans ces
quartiers, !a population est affectee par cette activite. Depuis des
annees, !'opinion publique se mobilise en faveur de la disparition
des carrieres. Non seulement l'industrie de plus en plus mecanisee
ne fournit pas tant d'emplois, mais bon nombre de
carrieres tournent au ralenti. Sou vent il ne reste que des debris et
de la pierre de surface, les meilleurs lits de pierre ayant deja ete
epuises. Mais il y a plus : les immenses crateres, non clotures,
laisses sans surveillance et remplis d'eau, representent un danger
considerable pour les enfants des secteurs limitrophes
(ill. 15). Enfin, les promoteurs revent de Ia plus value qu'apporterait
a leurs projets de developpement urbain la disparition de ces
hideux crateres qui freinent !'expansion de la ville nouvelle vers
le nord et !'est. Citoyens, conseillers municipaux et promoteurs
se rallient done a !'idee de Ia fermeture des carrieres. Reste a
trouver, comme le signalent les journaux en 1931, une " methode
pour toutes les faire disparaltre "· Tres tot une idee est mise de
!'avant et c'est elle qui, en definitive, se concretisera : il s'agit
d'exproprier les carrieres et de les utiliser comme depotoirs de
dechets municipaux. Le coftt, evalue a trois millions de dollars
de l'epoque, a ete rembourse par les economies realisees sur les
frais de transport des dechets. Les carrieres de Ia Petite-Patrie
sont evidemment au cceur du debat puisque immediatement
voisines d e l'incinerateur municipal (ill. 16).
Dans les annees 1930, Montreal a deja une bonne expertise
dans la fermeture et Ia reconversion des carrieres"'. Dans Rosemont-Petite-Patrie,
un cas fait figure de modele : celui des carrieres
Dubuc et Limoges, fermees, rem plies et amenagees en pare
public, d'abord nomme pare Cremazie puis renomme pare Laurier
en 1925" . Ce lieu, occupe par des carrieres des les annees
1860, avait subi une mutation profonde du fait de !'apparition du
chemin de fer en 1876. Le trace avait exige le remblai partie!
d'une ancienne carriere ou Ia construction d'un viaduc, ce qui
avait eu comme consequence de creer une veritable barriere
entre le Mile-End et les confins industriels autour desquels allait
apparaitre Ia Petite-Patrie. Dans le cadre de son appui a !'urbanisation
du Mile-End, Ia Vi!Je avait acquis les terrains et les carrie-
20

Ill. 12. La carriere Martineau, 19 aoGt 1938.
(Archives de Ia Ville de Montreal. Z-308-2)
Ill. 11 . Carte des principales formations rocheuses.
(Parks, p. 31)
...'l"~/on ~ ~A'h?>, La Patrie fait echo au projet de fermeture de Ia carriere
Labelle (Montreal Quarry) qui deviendrait > . Le quotidien constate en effet que les debris de cendre
et de terre ne peuvent plus etre deposes dans le port de Montreal
ou des travaux de remblayage pour Ia construction de nouveaux
quais s'achevent. Pour sa part, The Montreal Star annonce :

JSSAC ! JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4

IlL 15 Le pare
Pare-Marquette.
1Archwes de ;a V• 1e de Montreal
1901.0. bobine 250-41 .35)
gique national du
site de la carriere Labelle.
Aussitot, les
quotidiens font un
large echo au projet.
Ainsi, Le Devoir du
26 juillet annonce :
« Une carriere merveilleuse"
" et Ln
Presse enchaine
avec : « Rien de tel
au n1onde" », n1anchettes
impensables
encore quelques semaines
auparavant
quand tous souhaitaient
au plus vite le comblement du
cratere. Puis, le 11 avril 1940, Ln Presse
publie une image : « Ce que serait le
pare geologique de Montreal"· ll s'agit
d'une vue a vol d'oiseau realisee d'apres
des plans prepares par l'architecte
Emile Daoust et l'arch.itecte
paysagiste Frederick G. Todd (ill. 18).
L'image est accompagnee d'une legende
descriptive :
A !'avant-plan, une balustrade qui
couronnerait la paroi de Ia rue de
Fleurimont, surplombant une vaste
pisc ine qui sera it alimentee en ea u
pure et limpide par une fontaine naturelle
qui s'echappe actuellement du
roc. A gauche, un pavi lion qui renfermerait
une sa lle de conferences et un
musee de geologie, oi:1 les ecoliers et
etudiants de Montreal iraient etudier
Ia formation geologique de Montreal
et les usages pratiques de certaines roches.
Juste a droite de ce pavilion, des
grad ins oi:1 5,000 personnes pourraient
s'asseoir. Ce qui semble etre un ilot
Ill 16. Carriere Martineau. 19 aout 1938.
(Ardu'les de Ia Vil!e de Montreal , Z-308··1)
derriere l'estrade, serait L111 emplacement oi1 125 autos pourraient
stationner. Plus au fond encore, dans les can'rnes qui seraient pratiquees
dans le roc vif, Un jardin zoologique pOUITait etre amenage
oi:1 vivraient, dans un decor nature!, une riche variete d'animaux et
d 'oiseaux. En hiver Ia piscine servirait de patinoire, et Ja route qui
mene au fond de ce vaste entonnoir qu'est Ia carriere Labelle, pourrait
sen·ir de piste glacee pour le toboggan. En fin, il est question de
tirer le meilleur avantage possible de tous it's accidents topographiques
pour que le pare geologique soit a ussi agreable il l'a>i l qu'utile
a l'enseignement de Ia jeunesse. Desjardins suspendus et des
23

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n • 3. 4

Ill. 20 . Plan de localisation des carrieres Labelle et Martineau . dresse en 1940. La carriere
Martineau sud est en voie d'Stre remplie et le trace du boulevard Rosemont y apparait.
(Archives de Ia Ville de Mon treal. 1901 .600 . bobine 250-4 1.46)
Il l. 19. « Croquis montrant les positions relatives entre les carrieres Martineau et Montreal
Quarry et l'incinerateur du nord », octobre 1940.
(Archives de Ia Ville de Montreal, dossier 73944-1 )
I
i
~. I
i_
-
sauver le pare geologique de Ia carriere Labelle. On rappelle Ia
qua lite des lieux :
Les carriers d'autrefois, en fouillant cet endroit pour en extraire de
Ia pierre a construction, le d ur calcaire Chazy, bourn~ de fossiles, ont
du traverser d'importantes couches de calcaires et de schistes de
Trenton, puis les trois etages de Ia formation de Black River : Ia dolomie
brunatre du Pamelia ; le calcaire blanchatre et fossilifere du
Lowville ; le calcaire gris colombe, noduleux et onduleux, egalement
fossilifere, du Leray. Ils ont mis a jour, ici et Ia, des intrusions
volcaniques, sills horizontaux et dikes verticaux, dont les matieres
notamment Ia montrealite, Ia tingua'ite ou bane-rouge, etc" 3
Aussit6t, une delegation, a laquelle participent Leo G. Morin
et T. H. Clark, se rend sur les lieux; un constat s'impose car Ia
carriere Labelle, a peine acquise, est deja en bonne partie comblee
; il faut done deplacer le pare geologique dans Ia portion
nord de Ia carriere Martineau". 11 faut com prendre ici que la Ville
a prefere combler d'abord les puits ouverts les plus proches de
l'incinerateur, situes au sud du boulevard Rosemont, laissant
pour plus tard Ia portion nord de la carriere Martineau (ill. 19 et
20). Et e'est dans ee residu de cratere que les geologues se proposent
maintenant d'etablir le pare geologique:
just enough of the quarry would be left open, to make all the geological
specimens it can offer available to students and others visiting
for scientific purposes. An ornamental ramp would be provided
for the visitor to walk down from the street level to the bottom of
the quarry, and suitable ga lleries would be provided, by which the
different levels could be reached on the quarry surface, in order to
study the geological strata. At the bottom of the quarry an artificia l
.,.
'd:· ,,
!J~!(I."
({,,,.-....)
'I P1';2C Ptl2t M612 QUtiit
Ill. 21. Plan du pare Pare-Marquette en 1955.
(Archives de Ia Ville de Montreal , 1901 .600, bobine 250-41 .73)
lake would be provided, and around the lake rock gardens, a shelter,
and other decorative features. The remainder of the quarry
would be filled up and its surface laid out as an ordinary type park
and playground, with space for a baseball field at one side, etc."
Mais le projet, pour lequel de nouveaux plans sont prets en
1947 ... , ne retient pas plus !'attention que le precedent ; les residants
et leurs representants veulent un pare de proximite et un
terrain de jeux et ne voient pas !'importance d'un equipement
municipal d'interet national. Des 1946, une premiere portion du
pare Pere-Marquette est ouverte, au sud du boulevard Rosemont",
puis, en 1953, la portion nord de la carriere, desormais
eomblee, est assoeiee a ce pare, sous le meme nom". Assez curieusement,
en meme temps, c'est a un terrain sihte au nord de
25

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n~ 3. 4

geron t vers Ia rue Bellechasse,
pour acceder a l'urgence et que les
unites de soins, separees de Ia voie
ferree par un tampon de verdure,
seront orientees vers Ia montagne
et le centre-ville. Une version preliminaire
du preconcept architectural
[est] en cours d'elaboration
par Ia firme d'architectes Lemay et
Associes ... ''·
4. Les journaux ant traite genereusement
des developpements de
ce grand projet a !'angle des rues
Saint-Denis et Rosemont. Les
aspects financiers ant occupe Ia
majeure partie des tractations (les
budgets de construction et de
fonctionnement, les solutions de
rechange a Ia construction neuve),
mais d 'autres considerations a nt
porte sur les vocations particulieres
a donner aux biltiments qui seront
laisses vacants par Ia fu sion,
sur Ia mission universitaire du reseau
en tier des etablissements universitaires
de sante (CHU), sur le
manque d'infirmieres et sur le elimat
de travail au sein des hopitaux,
sur le rapport d'evaluation
des services connu sous le nom de
« Bilan de sante des hopitaux ,,,
sur le choix du site et, en fin, sur les
evenements a Ia suite du depart
du president de Ia Societe d'implantation
du CHUM et du rapport
subsequent qui appuya it ses
allegations de laxisme au sujet de
Ia gestion des contra ts accordes
pour le projet par Ia Corporation
d'hebergement du Quebec ! Les
derniers articles ex posent les inquietudes
face au retard dans l'echeancier
prevu (Lessard, Denis,

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n~ 3. 4 >, Le Devoir,
9 mai 1944, p. 2.
42. La carriere continue regulierement
a faire les manchettes : insecuri
te, noyades, etc.
43. Benoist, Emile, 1946, « La carriere
Labelle doit devenir un jardin
geologique », Le Devoir, 16 mars
p. l.
44. Benoist, Emile, 1946, « Une
carriere de perdue, une autre de
retrouvee >>, Le Devoir, 22 mars,
p.l.
45. « Quarry-Park Plans Studied
By Engineers >>, The Mo11trea/ Star,
28 juin 1946, p. 1.
46. La Patrie, 28 octobre 1947,
p. 7.
47. La Patrie, 8 septembre 1946.
48. AVM, Proces-verbal du Comite
executif, 20 juillet 1953.
Bibliographie
comph!mentaire
Avramtchev, Luben, 1992, Carte
minerale de Ia regio11 de Montn!al -
Mont-Laurier, Quebec, Quebec, Ministere
de l'Energie et des Ressources.
Avramtchev, Luben, 1994, Compilation
des carrieres de roches du Quebec
en 1994, Quebec, Penguin Books
Collection, Serie des manuscrits
bruts, n" 94-13, 17 p.
Beriault, Andre, 1977, Rele-ue des
carrieres de l'i/e de Montreal, Memoire
de maitrise, Montreal, Presses
de l'Universite du Quebec,
57p.
Burea u d'audiences publiques sur
l'environnement, 1997, Projet d'etablissement
d'un depi!t de materia11x
sees iJ Pierrejo11ds, Quebec, Bureau
d'audiences publiques sur l'environnement,
Collection Rapport
d'enquete et d'audience pttblique,
n" 118, 179 p.
Bureau d'audiences publiques sur
l'environnement, 1995, Projet d'agrandissemen/
d11 lie11 d'enfouissement
sanitaire it Ia carriere Demix par
Ia CoJntm111aute urbaine de Montn'ai,
s.l., s.n., Collection Rapport d'enquete
et de 111Miation, n" 88, 33 p.
Circe, jean-Fran~ois, Benoit Viens,
Carlos Espinosa, et Normand Lalonde,
1989, Secte11r de In zone indllstrielle
Petite-Patrie-Mile-End,
Montreal, APAAM, Collection
Desseins s11r Montreal, n ·' 3, 81 p.
Comite executif au Conseil de Ia
ville de Montreal, 1990, Mise en vaiellr
du site Miron. Enonce d'orientatiolls
d'amt'twgement, Montreal,
Ville de Montreal, 10 p.
Courcy-Legros, Louiselle, et Jocelyne
Verret, 1979, Petite !tistoire d11
plateau, Montreal, s.ed., 44 p.
Dupont, jean-Claude (dir.). 1988,
Exercices des nuitiers de Ia pierre et de
/'argile, Quebec, Faculte des Lettres,
Universite Laval et CELAT,
Collection Cahiers du CELAT, n" 9,
311 p.
Lambert, Phyllis, et Alan Stewart,
1992, Montreal, Ville fortifiee au
XVlfJe siecle, Catalogue d'exposition
(Montreal, Centre canadien
d'architecture, 9 septembre 1992-
17 janvier 1993), Montreal, Centre
canadien d'architecture, 93 p.
Langlois, Pierre, 1983, Problematiqlle
de Ia disposition de Ia neige it
Montreal. Une et11de de cas- La carriere
Francon, Memoire de maitrise,
Montreal, Universite du Quebec a
Montrea l, 120 p.
Laplante, Jean de, 1990, Les Pares
de Montreal, des origines it nos jow·s,
Montrea l, Meridien, 253 p.
London, Mark, et Dinu Bumbaru,
1986, Traditional Masonry, Montreal,
Heritage Montreal, Guide
technique, n" 3, 64 p.
McLeish, Johnm 1914, La production
du ciment, de Ia chaux, des prod11its
d'argile, de Ia pierre et d'a utres
materiaux de constmction au Canada
pendant /'a nnee civile 1912, Ottawa,
lmprimerie du gouvernement,
Rapport du ministere des Mines,
Ottawa, n" 289, 64 p.
Mongrain, Guy, 1998, Population et
territoire dans 1111 contexte de croissance
urbaine : Saint-Louis-du-Mile­
End, 1881-1901, Memoire de
maitrise, Montreal, Universite du
Quebec a Montrea l, 117 p.
Prud'homme, Michel, 1991, Caracterisation
des agregats de carrieres
dans Ia region de Montreal, Memoire
de maitrise, Montreal, Universite
de Montreal, Ecole polytechnique,
Departement de genie mineral,
99 feuill ets.
Saint-Laurent, Diane, 2000, « La
carriere Francon : Les aspects biogeographiques
et le projet de reamenagement
,,, In Les espaces
degrades. Contraintes et conquetes,
Sainte-Foy, Presses de l'Universite
du Quebec, Collection Geographic
contemporaine, p. 41-66.
28

Martin Eli Weil Prize
Essay, 2002
Venetia Stewart
Justice Done: The Restitution of
the Frontenac County Court House
within the Classical Tradition
Fig. 1. Frontenac County Court House 1855-8. Edward Horsey.
(Image courtesy of P. du Prey)
For my father.
Ve11etia Stewart completed her BA Honours il1 art history at Queen's University
and is currmtly completing a Master's Degree at Queen's University
with Professor Volker Manuth , working on the 17th century Portrait Painter,
fohn Michael Wright.
JSSAC I JS EAC 27, n ~ 3, 4 (2002) ; 29-34.
The Frontenac County Court House (fig. 1) and its adjoining
buildings, those still standing and those since destroyed,
make up one of Kingston's finest architectural and historical
complexes.' An unpublished floor plan of the main building, signed
by its architect Edward Horsey (1806-1869), sheds new
light on the architect's original intentions and clarifies the original
stylistic relationship between the exterior and interior of the
building (fig. 2). 2 The use of the Classical Orders and the meaning
they convey is vital to the comprehension of this building
which, until now, had only been partial because of a lack of surviving
information about the original interior of the building.
Originally, the complex consisted of the Court House, Registry
Office (fig. 4 for depiction of the Registry Office without the
extension), Gaoler's House (fig. 17), and the adjacent Gaol,
which was surrounded by a magnificent limestone wall two
storeys high (fig.3). The Gaol and wall all disappeared in 1973
(see fig. 5 for a depiction of the old Gaol and fig. 6 for the Hanging
Window where executions were performed and which was
formerly the Easternmost end of the Gaol).' Although these
buildings were not all designed or constructed at the same time,
their builders took great care to keep the complex as a stylistic
whole within the Classical tradition. In the past, this magnificent
structure has been somewhat neglected by art historians in
favour of its more famous, and publicly situated neighbour, the
Kingston City Hall (1842-1844) by George Browne (1811-1885)
(fig. 7).' Although the Frontenac County Court House is clearly
related to the City Hall in its use of the Classical Orders, its program
is w1ique and conveys a meaning related to its function,
which was formerly displayed both inside and out.
In the nineteenth century, Kingston was a flourishing city
whose prosperity was expressed by Classical-style architecture.
In England at that time, the Gothic revival style was growing in
popularity. In Kingston however, it was the Classical that won
out as the accepted style for the important public buildings, including
the City Hall, the Court House, the Penitentiary, the Old
Post Office, and the Customs House to name the most prominent
(see fig . 8 for a depiction of the Customs House). 5 The influence
of architecture books on artists in the colonies should not be un-
29

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 , n ~ 3, 4 C2002l
Fig. 2. Plan of Ground Floor of Frontenac County Court
House c. 1855. Signed, bo«om right. by Edward Horsey.
(Collection of Oueen·s University Archives)
Fig . 4. Registry Office 1876.
(Photo; Venetia Stewart)
Fig. 3. Aerial View of Court House Complex, before demolition of Jail and Wall­
(lmage courtesy of P. du Prey)
derestimated. Indeed it is possible that an advertisement of May
1840 that refers to a library of architecture books for sale was that
of Edward Horsey." A book that may well have been known to
Horsey is Sir William Chambers' Trea tise on the Decorative Part of
Civil Architecture (first published in London in 1759 7 ), a highly regarded
publication which has since been described as "the Englishman
's Palladia and Vignola."• This work made reference, at the
end of the chapters on each order of architecture, to the building
types to which they should be applied: Knowledge of the appropriate
use of the orders was available, even to those architects
working in the colonies, including Edward Horsey.
In ea rl y January 1854, a competition was announced requesting
designs for a new Court House, and Edward Horsey
was the winner." Tha t mode of solici ting designs for a public
building was not new: plans for the Kingston City Hall (1842-
1844) had emerged from a competition of which George Browne
was the winner.'' In the case of the Frontenac County Court
House, it has been impossible to tell if the winning design was
the best, as none of the other competition drawings has survived.
The only survivin g drawing that rela tes to the competition is the
fl oor plan for the
Court House, signed
by Edward Horsey,
which I will discuss
in more detail.
Horsey came to
Kingston from England
in 1831 and, although
he trained
as a carpenter, he
Fig . 5. Frontenac County Jail House.
(Image courtesy of Margaret Angus)
gained a reputation as a builder in Belleville where he and the
architect Thomas Rogers (1778-1853) received the contract for the
Court House and Gaol. Horsey here had the opportunity to learn
first hand the appropriateness of the use of the Classical orders
in designing a Court House."
On October 24th, 1855, the cornerstone of the new Frontenac,
Lennox and Addington County Court House was laid.
The Court House was carefully placed in a position of prominence,
atop a hill looking down across City Park towards Lake
Ontario. The siting is an important one as, like the City Hall
which was visible to anyone who sailed by, the Court House
would have been an imposing physica l reminder of the power
and strength of the judicial system. Its position on a hill makes it
something to look up to both physically and metaphoricall y. "
The building follows a low-lying Classical design only two
stories high, even though its elevated position makes it seem
taller and grander than it actually is. The horizontal nature of the
building is undeniable, with its Ionic portico from which extend
two wings of four bays that culminate in a pedi.mented pavilion
at either end. Today, however, the building seems to have more
of a vertical emphasis than was originally intended, beca use of
the "unnatural" height of the dome, which is crowned by a cupola.
This dome is not the original designed by Horsey. A hitherto
unpublished photograph of the building (fig 9) indicates the
original dome, which was more squat than the present one." It
did not draw attention away from the fac;ade, unlike its replacement."
The new dome is totally unsympathetic to the overall sty-
30

VENETIA STEWART 1:1.'1o"f!1U:I.'1o"f!\•j
Fig. 6. Frontenac County
Jail. Hanging Window.
(!mage courtesy of Margaret
Angus)
Fig. 8. Custom's House.
Kingston 1856
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
listie nature of the
building. Its vertical
thrust is out of
place atop a
building that, as
we have seen, is
clearly horizontal
in nature. Moreover,
when
Power's "new"
dome is examined
Fig. 7. Kingston City Hall 1842-44. George Browne, architect.
{Image courtesy of Scholastic Slide Service [H. Schade])
in relation to the
rest of the Court
House, it makes
little sense. Besides adding a vertical thrust that was not there
previously, Power has used the Corinthian order on his dome
which, upon examining the use of the orders on the lower parts
of the Court House, one realizes has no business being there at
all. Although the Corinthian is used properly when looking at
the Court House from the front, i.e. it is above Tuscan, then Ionic
(portico), when viewed from the sides and rear of the Court
House it looks out of place. (fig.lO) The contrast of the decorative
Corinthian order with the heavily rusticated Tuscan found on
both the rear and sides of the building is noticeably awkward."
The exterior of the Court House displays elements of the
Tuscan order and Greek Doric, both of which embody aspects of
the theory of Primitivism. The writings of such thinkers as the
French eighteenth century theorist Abbe Marc Antoine Laugier
(1713-1769) had influenced the mainstream of architecture into
the nineteenth century. They conveyed the belief that the simpler
the order displayed on a building, especially a public one, the
purer society would be. It was an attempt to impose certain values
on society through architecture, and what better place to attempt
it than in a colony in its infancy? The first storey windows
of the centre block have (correctly for Ionic) pulvinated friezes
(fig. 11), while the windows in the side wings have plain friezes
(appropriate for Tuscan) (fig. 12). The mouldings at the tops of
the second storey side wing windows are faintly pedimental in
form, a sort of "primitive" touch (fig. 13). The main doorway on
the central pavilion is a simple post and lintel design with rustica
ted blocks making up the posts all crowned by a huge, heavily
rusticated keystone (fig. 14). The lintel is the only part of the
fa

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4

Fig. 15. West end entrance.
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
Fig. 18. Back entrance to
Court House.
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
another entrance
from the exterior of
the building to the
basement level. According
to the drawing,
we can see that
there was originally
an entrance to the
basement from the
left exterior of the
Fig . 16. Back of east wing.
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
building.
Although the
Frontenac County
Court House remains
an impressive
building, and an important
part of
Kingston's heritage,
it is evident that this
building, as well as
those that still surround
it, no longer
Fig. 17. Gaoler's House as il stands today. 1858. display the clarity
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
that was originally
intended by Edward
Horsey, due to fires and (senseless) demolition. The ground plan
and early photograph published here for the first time shed light
on what Horsey had intended for the interior of this building.
But it also adds to the mounting evidence that this building's exterior
was carefully designed and constructed within the Classical
tradition to crea te a harmonious and profound message
about the place of justice in a pioneer society in its infancy.
Notes
1. I would like to take this
opportunity to thank several people
whose assistance with this
project was always immense and
immeasurably cheerful, including
Professor P. d u Prey, Professor
Emeritus J.D. Stewart, and Paul
Banfield of the Queen's University
Archives.
2. The drawing, part of the
Robert Gage co llection (Q ueen's
Unive rsity Archives), was
acquired in 1985 fro m the estate of
the late Ada Spooner, a great niece
of Robert Gage, architect (c. 1841-
c. 1888) (information J.D. Stewart).
Margaret Angus (1963, Architects
and Builders of Early Kingston, Historic
Kingston, vol. II, 1963, p. 24-
25) gives life and death date
27 March 1869 but no birth date.
Jennifer McKendry (1995, With
Our Past Before Us, University of
Toronto Press) is the source for his
birth date.
3. The Gaol and surrounding
wa ll were destroyed by the Coun-
ty, despite strong protest,
in 1973-74. The Gaoler's
house remains and is the
well-cared for Red Cross
Headquarters in
Kingston.
4. A notable omission
of a discussion of this
building is Kalman's
text, where it does not
appear at all.
5. All of these buildings,
although by different
architects, kept stylistically
to the Classical tradition.
Thus it is safe to
assume that the Classical
style was seen to have
associations with power
and strength which, it
was felt, were not as
effecti vely communicated
by the Gothic.
6. See McKendry
(p. 19), where she suggests
that the gentleman
who advertised in the
Kingston newspapers
that he was returning to
England and was selling
to gentlemen of "the profession"
his library "consisting
of the best standard
works extant," was
Edward Horsey. This theory
is indeed plausible as
Horsey returned to England
for a short period,
leaving in 1840.
7. Chambers, W., A
Treatise on the Decorative
Part of Civil Architecture,
London, 1825 and New
York, 1968 editions.
8. This is how the
book is described in the
introduction to the 1968
edition.
9. Chambers (1825 : 183), states
that "The Tuscan order, as it conveys
ideas of strength and rustic
simplicity is very proper for rural
purposes [ .. . ] Serlio recommends
Fig. 19. Detail of the doorframe of the Gaoler's House.
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
Fig. 20. Detail of the central portico of the Court House.
(Photo: Venetia Stewart)
the use thereof in prisons, arsenals,
treasuries etc." and (p. 210)
"[ ... ] the Ionic is principally used
in such as are consecrated females,
of the matronal state. It is likewise
33

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4 C2002l
Fig. 21 . Detail of the signalure of Edward
Horsey from the contract drawing
now in the Queen's University
Archives. Kingston.
(Collection of Queen 's University Archives)
Fig. 22. Plan and elevation of a
Palazzo for Giovanni Baltista della
Torre in Verona c. 1570.
(Andrea Palladia)
employed in courts of justice."
These quotations give proof that
the Tuscan was seen as appropriate
for "rural" and thus colonial
settings, and that the Ionic order
was already associated with
Courts of Justice, i.e. Court Houses.
10. The first Court House was
built in 1796 (Crossman, K., 1978,
The Early Court Hou ses of Ontario,
Parks Canada, p. 138-139). A second
Court House built in 1824,
designed by John Leigh Okill,
received substantial changes and
additions from Thomas Rogers in
1839 (see Stewart, J.D., 1985,
"Thomas Rogers" Dictionary of
Canadian Biography, vol. VIII (1851-
1860), University of Toronto Press,
p. 761). For descriptions of the early
Court Houses see Stewart, J.D.,
and Ian Wilson, 1973, Heritage
Kingston, Agnes Etherington Art
Centre, Queen's University,
Kingston, p. 44, 97-98. For a general
description of the old Court
House see Kalman, H., 1994, A
History of Canadian Architecture,
2 vols., Oxford University Press,
p. 145.
11. Stewart, J.D., 1976,

Nicole Denis
Un plan Martellange pour
I'Hopital General de Quebec
en 1700 ?
En 1692, Mg' Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Vallier achetait des recollets
le monastere Notre-Dame-des-Anges situe a l'exterieur
de Quebec, sur les bords de Ia riviere Saint-Charles (ill. 1), pour
y fonder ce qui lui tenait a cceur, un hopital general, et y loger les
gens les plus demunis de Ia ville et de Ia region.
Ill. 1. OE!lail montranl le monastere des recollets au bard de Ia riviere, tire d'une vue intitu!E!e
L 'entree de Ia riviere de Saint-Laurent dans le Canada et Ia ville de Quebec. Document anonyme.
vers 1690.
(Archives nationales de France, photo Martin Holzapfel)
Nicole Denis dd ien/une licm ce en enseigne111cnl de I'Universilt; Lni>n / e/u11e
IIWilrise enllisloire (de /'art) de cc/le 111ihne universilc.
La vocation d'un hopital general
II convient d'abord de dire que Ia vocation d'un hopital general
differe de celle d'un Hotel-Dieu oi:1 !'on soigne avec l'espoir de
guerir et ou des incurables comme des paraplegiques ne sont pas
admis. L'hopital general, tel qu'institue a Paris par un edit de
Louis XIV en 1656, poursuivait un tout autre but ; il s'agissait,
par le renfermement obligatoire, de debarrasser Ia ville de tous
ses nombreux pauvres et mendiants a fin de sauver leur ame par
l'evangelisation et, surtout, afin de satisfaire Ia politique mercantile
de l'epoque qui consistait a mettre au travail tous ceux qui
etaient en mesure de le faire.
Quand !'edit est entre en vigueur en mai 1657, a Paris, quatre
a cinq mille pauvres avaient ete diriges par des archers dans
diverses maisons de !'institution appelee l'Hopital General de
Paris, dont Ia Salpetriere qui recevait les femmes et Bicetre, les
hommes'. Cette nombreuse clientele etait des plus variees : elle
se composait, en plus des gens valides, d'infirmes, de vieillards,
d'orphelins, de prostituees, de malades mentaux de tout ordre.
En 1662, le roi ordonnait que chaque ville importante du royaume
possede son hopital general. II faut se rappeler que cette
fa

JSSAC I JSEAC 27, n ~ 3. 4 ·~.-.11 ..... , .... ·~---
. I !:.f:) .~ ... ~~~;.>)_.At7•'-'
./ ?-"'"'MIN
; t" J.;..,.~ ... J'~ ... -
,., r,~
••.. ) • ...,_

111. 4 . « L'H6pital General de Quebec "· Joseph Legare. vers 1843. montrant Ia fao;ade principale
de l'h6pital, huile sur papier. 35.1 X 51 .1 em .
(Musee de Ia civilisation du Quebec, dEtpOt du S8minaire de Quebec. n° 1994.24978)
religieuses ne le choisit avant que les recollets ne s'y installent en
1692. Les deux h6pitaux de Montreal, l'H6pital general des freres
Charon, en 1693, et l'H6tel-Dieu, apres l'incendie en 1695,
adoptent le plan constitue de deux T couches dont les pieds s'appuient
a une eglise au centre de Ia fa , sans doute
plus elabore que celui
de 1708, est reste introuvable
jusqu'a
maintenant. La curiosite
nous incite a chercher
que! plan on
souhaitait alors pour
l'H6pital General. A
l'epoque, en France,
diverses dispositions
de batiments hospitaliers
auraient pu servir
de modele a
I' eveque ba tisseur,
cela tout en integrant
I' eglise et le monastere
existants.
Parmi les exemples
susceptibles d 'etre
imi tes, TIOUS a VOl1S
deja
mentionne le
Ill. 5. « L'H6tei-Dieu de Montreal en 1695 »,planet elevation
de Gedeon de Catalogne.
(Archives des religieuses hospitali9res de Saint-Joseph de Montreal,
expose au Musee de I'H6tei-Dieu de Montreal)
plan (de Catalogne) de 1695 pour l'Hotel-Dieu de Montreal qui
consistait en une eglise au centre de deux ailes. Cette ordonnance
se trouvait a Ia maison de l'Aumone a Saint-Vallier-sur-le­
Rh6ne que M

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n" 3. 4

Il l. 10. Vue aerienne montrant
I"HOpital genera l en 1997 .
{Photo Pierre Lahoud)
Ill. 9. Plan de I'H6pital General a Notre Dame des Anges
pres Quebec, tire par M" St-Ours. 6ieme xbre: 1785.
(Arch1ves du monastere des augustines de l'h6pital general de Quebec.
n• 22. 15.1.4.-2.2.3, photo Marc Grignon)
Le premier plan conc;u pour un
hopital general
Nous avons deja dit que Lyon avait ete Ia
premiere ville de france a reussir !'implantation d 'un hopital general
en 1614, dans un edifice temporaire. En 1622, on demenageait
les pauvres dans Ia nouvelle demeure appelee
Notre-Dame-de-la-Charite de Lyon. Ce batiment, demoli en
1934, etait le premier strictement con c;:u pour les besoins d 'un h6-
pital general. Architecturalement, Martellange y traduisait Ia
nouvelle politique de l'Etat a l'egard des pauvres, c'est-a-dire
celle de l'enfermement des mendiants valides ou malades des
deux sexes pour les employer aux ouvrages, aux manufactures et
a d 'autres travaux. Son plan se constituait d 'une succession de
trois fois trois cours, c'est-a-dire de neuf cours; c'est, en fait, une
multiplication du plan monastique. Comme dans des compartiments
bien ordonnes, chacune des aires se destinait a une fonction
precise et a une clientele particuliere : hommes, femmes,
orphelins, vieillards, alienes, divises selon le sexe, !'age et l'etat
de validite de chacun.
L'edifice est une ceuvre bien pensee d'un architecte accompli,
habitue a concevoir les grands etablissements que lui commandait
a l'epoque Ia Compagnie de Jesus. Les constructions
entourant les cours centrales possedent trois etages tandis que
celles des cours laterales n 'en ont que deux sur trois cotes, le quatrieme,
par souci de salubrite, restant ouvert pour une meilleure
ventilation. Des arcades ornent uniquement les fac;:ades des edifices
vis-a-vis les trois entrees. Les bandeaux horizontaux separant
les eta ges et les cadres des fenetres en pierre de taille
doru1ent a !'ensemble une grande unite, mais d 'un caractere austere.
La vill e de Lyon, avec raison, etait fiere de son monument.
Pour le fa ire connaltre et le citer en exemple, elle a emis une publi
ca ti on intitulee !'In stitution de /'Au 111osne generale de Lyon . Plusieurs
ed itions ont sui vi". Le pl an de l'h6pital se trouve dans les
deuxieme (1628) et troisieme editions (1632). Dans les quatrieme
(1 639), cinquieme (1647) et sixieme (1 662), on a insere une gravure
depliante (59 x 42 em), a laquelle on a donne le titre de : Portraict
du magnifique basti111e11t de /' Hospital de Ia Charite de Ia Ville de
Lyon (ill. 11). C'est une vue cavaliere montrant le plan en perspective
de !'institution, revelant ainsi son elevation.
L'architecture de Ia Cha rite de Lyon ainsi que son organisati
on ont servi, pendant le XVII· siecle, de modele dans toute Ia
France a ceux qui voulaient eriger des hopitaux genera ux. Au
surplus, en 1662, un edit demandait que chaque vi lle importante
du roya ume possede son h6pital general ".
MS' de Saint-Vallier, ancien eleve des jesuites a Grenoble
dans les annees 1660, avait du entendre parler de Martellange,
personnage qui a domine !'architecture jesuitique du debut du
XVII' siecle'•. Actif de 1605 a 1641, annee de sa mort, il a fait de
nombreux plans, dessins et releves de plusieurs colleges et eglises,
tant pour sa communaute que pour d 'autres';· Le prelat avait
peut-etre deja vu Ia Charite de Lyon (l e chateau de ses ancetres,
a Sa int-Vallier, n'est qu'a quelques kil ometres au sud de la ville).
II est bien possible que l'eveque de Quebec ait voulu, en 1700,
s'inspirer du plan de l'hopital de Martellange qui facilitait tellement
Ia repartition des populati ons pour construire un edifice
destine a Ia meme voca tion, sa ns doute avec des proportions
moindres puisqu'il s'agissait d 'accueillir environ soixa nte pa u­
vres et religieuses, tandis qu'a Lyon, a un certain moment, on
trouvait quelque 1 500 « enfermes ''·
Un plan fictif inspire de I'Hopital de Ia Charite de
Lyon"
lmaginons ce qu'aurait pu etre ce plan (( trop vaste )) influence
par celui de Martellange. A partir d' un noya u central, en !'occurrence
le cloitre des recollets entoure de batiments, des ailes
39

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n"' 3. 4

Yona Jebrak
Probf!ger le patrimoine
montrealais : textes internationaux
et gestion municipale
Il l. 1. L'une des premieres initiatives en matiere de mise en valeur patrimoniale de Ia Ville de
Montreal hairs du Vieux-Montreal a ete le reamenagement en axe pietannier de Ia rue Prince­
Arthur, a Ia fin des anmies 1970.
(Photo Yona Jebrak)
Yona febrak est doctornnte en etudes urbaines il I'Universite du Quebec il
Montreal. Elle est associee il Ia Clwire de recherche du Canada en patrimoi11e
urbain.
JSSAC I ]SEAC 27, n~ 3, 4 (2002) ; 41-46.
Depuis une quarantaine d 'annees, les rencontres internationales
entre experts en patrimoine urbain ont permis Ia mise
en place d 'un reseau de cooperation et d'echange. L'identification
des tran sformations demographiques, socio-economiques et
politiques, ainsi que !'evolution du regard porte sur Ia ville ont
souligne les enjeux de Ia conservation et de Ia protection du
cadre bati. Afin de sensibiliser les gouvernements a Ia problematique
du patrimoine, de nombreux textes internationaux
- conventions, chartes, declarations et recommandations - ont
ete rediges pour favoriser une meilleure prise en compte du patrimoine
dans les politiques gouvernementales. Cependant, Ia
gestion quotidienne du patrimoine reste tres locale.
On peut done se demander sur queUes bases Ia gestion municipale
devrait s'appuyer pour proteger son patrimoine, surtout
lorsque !'on tient compte des nombreux acteurs qui interviennent
dans le developpement du milieu urbain 1 • Dans le cas d 'une
ville comme Montreal, qui ne possede a ce jour aucun site patrimonial
reconnu sur Ia scene internationale et qui ne se trouve pas
dans une situation politique precaire, !'influence des textes internationaux
sur Ia gestion municipale n'est pas evidente. Elle n'est
peut-etre pas non plus necessaire.
Les outils dont Ia ville de Montreal dispose pour proteger
son patrimoine peuvent etre regroupes en quatre grandes ca tegories
d'actions' : Ia reglementation, Ia subvention, !'information,
et Ia propriete et Ia gestion des proprietes municipales' . Les
mesures proposees visent differents acteurs, les proprietaires, les
promoteurs, le public et Ia Ville elle-meme. Toutes n'ont pas Ia
protection du patrimoine urbain comme finalite, mais les outils
mis en place cherchent avant tout a fournir un cad re de vie harmonieux
et coherent aux residants, en encadrant l'urbanisme et
le developpement urbain.
La protection du patrimoine est essentiellement assuree par
Ia reglementation etablie par Ia Ville et dont le contenu est en
partie decide par Ia legislation p rovinciale' . Elle est avant tout
destinee aux prop rietaires et aux p romoteurs. Le zonage, element
central de Ia reglementation montrealaise, a longtemps ete
!'unique outil de gestion de l'urbanisme a Montreal. La situation
change en 1991, sous le mandat du maire Jean Dore, alors qu'un
4 1

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4 C2002l
Il l. 2. La mise en valeur du boulevard Saint-Laurent est un casse-te te. Sa valeur patrimoniale est d'ordre social. faite de Ia
superposition des couches d'occupation dent temoigne l'affichage, indice de Ia mixite ethnique et sociale.
(Photo Yona Jebrak)
plan d 'urbanisme
est mis
sur pied. l es
neuf arrondissements
de )a ville sont tous Soumis a des etudes sectorielles et
un plan directeur est prepare pour chacun. le concept reglementaire
est par Ia suite traduit en reglementation d 'urbanisme.
Cette reglementation peut etre qualifiee de bipolaire puisqu'elle
contient, d'une part, une partie normative (les plans de zonage
avec les reglements sur les hauteurs, les usages, les densites, les
elements de construction, etc.) et, d 'autre part, une partie discretionnaire
(procedure d 'approbation des projets particuliers)'. En
termes de gestion du patrimoine, J'effet est indirect. La regiementation
est destinee a contr6ler les constructions nouvelles et
non pas a corriger celles qui existent. Elle impose des normes sur
les hauteurs, les densites, !'implantation des batiments et J'affichage
dont les resultats, pour !'ensemble du tissu urbain, severront
a long terme.
Les hauteurs repondent a plusieurs criteres destines a
respecter les ca racteristiques du bati montrealais. D'une part, on
souhaite encadrer Ia rue et renforcer son ga barit en evitant des
ecarts de taille trap importants entre les constructions. D'autre
part, pour des raisons de confort pour les pietons, on cherche a
eviter au nivea u de Ia rue les corridors de vent et les zones d'ombre
perpetuelle. les hauteurs sont categorisees en quatre classes
types : les petits batiments (duplex et triplex des quartiers residentiels),
les batiments de taille moyenne (de 6 a 8 etages), les
tours a burea ux (jusqu'a 120 metres) et les tours contemporaines
(jusqu'a 200 metres). De ces categories, trois plans de zonage sont
proposes: les hauteurs minimales, le plan normatif (contr6le des
batiments de moins de 44 metres) et le plan des surhauteurs (les
batiments de plus de 44 metres).
Les densites permettent de contr6ler l'intensite du developpement.
Elles influencent egalement Jes valeurs des terrains.
L'urbanisme d 'apres-guerre, facilite par des mesures financieres
avantageuses pour les menages, a favorise le developpement des
banlieues de faible densite et l'amenagement d'infrastructures
de transport. Cela a pour consequence l'etablissement d 'un nouveau
rapport de forces entre le centre et Ia peripherie des centres
urbains: les centres-villes se vident en partie de leur population,
Ia segregation des usages est accentuee et Ia speculation fonci ere
des terrains centraux a des fin s commerciales et de burea ux favorise
Ia destruction d'anciens secteurs residentiels. Or, si !'on
souhaite maintenir une vie residentielle au centre-ville ou
conserver Ia trame urbaine traditionnelle de Montreal, il fa ut au
contra ire favoriser une densite plus importante que celle que !'on
trouve en banlieue. Le fait d 'autoriser des densites plus importantes
- en accord bien evidemment avec les densites environnantes,
la reglementation en cours et le caractere architectural
souhaite- represente egalement un incitatif financier interessant
pour les proprietaires et les promoteurs et permet un retour sur
l'investissement fait dans la renovation urbaine' . Les differentes
densites peuvent etre creees en combinant Ia proportion de terrains
habitables, les marges arrieres et laterales et les alignements
de construction. On peut ainsi favoriser une composition urbaine
coherente et preserver le caractere des secteurs.
L'affichage peut rapidement devenir une nuisance visuelle
s'il n'est pas correctement contr6le. L'imposition de restrictions
sur sa forme et sa taille permet J'exercice d 'un pouvoir discretionnaire
sur l'esthetique de la ville. Dans certains secteurs residentiels,
les grandes affiches sont interdites ou encore revues
devant une commission speciale, comme c'est le cas dans le
Vieux-Montreal.
Les programmes particuliers de subventions representent
une deuxieme categorie de mesures qui ont un effet sur un
aspect particulier ou !'autre de l'urbanisme montrealais. Generalement
crees en collaboration avec le gouvernement provincial
ou federal, les programmes visent a aider les proprietaires. Ils
sont limites dans le temps (souvent jusqu'a epuisement des
fonds) et destines, en general, uniquement a certains secteurs de
Ia vill e. De plus, les subventions accordees repondent soit a un
besoin exprime par Ia population, soit a une nouvelle orientation
d 'amenagement souhaitee par la Ville. On comprend done que le
nombre de programmes de subventions peut etre illimite :
conversion des immeubles, renovation des batiments, modernisation
des logements, ravalement des fa

HI. 3. « La Catherine )), artere mythique . survil pEmiblement sous Ia pression immobiliere.
Le cadre biUi ancien ne fait pas l'unanimite dans Ia communaute des affaires qui souhaite
revaloriser cette «Broadway )> montrealaise.
(Photo Yona JE!brak)
peuvent affecter des composantes exh~rieures (refection du revetement
de la fa et >) . L'annee suivante, !'arrondissement historique du Vieux­
Montreal etait cree•. D'autres amendements de Ia loi pendant la
periode 1972-1978 permettent au ministere de Ia Culture et des
Communications de conclure des ententes avec les municipalites
en vue de sauvegarder et de mettre en valeur le patrimoine collectif
(ex. subvention MCC/ville ala restauration eta la renovation
dans le Vieux-Montreal). En 1986, la Loi sur les biens
culturels du Quebec accorde aux municipalites le pouvoir de
prendre des mesures concretes de protection de leur patrimoine
en citant des monuments historiques et en constituant des territoires
en sites du patrimoine 4 •
Toutes ces mesures permettent a Montreal de mettre en
place des comites qui assurent Ia designation de batiments ou
d'ensembles de batiments presentant un caractere patrimonial
(ex. creation du Comite consultatif de Montreal sur Ia protection
des biens culturels en 1987) et de developper une typologie des
modes de protection. Ainsi, le reglement d'urbanisme fait reference
a des secteurs significatifs a normes, des secteurs significatifs
a criteres, au secteur significatif du Canal de Lachine et des
immeubles significatifs (R.R. V.M., c. U-1). Concretement, cela se
traduit par une reglementation tres restrictive sur ce qui peut et
ne peut pas etre fait en controlant a la fois les demolitions, les
transformations de logements et les reconstructions et, dans
certains cas, les travaux qui necessitent une autorisation du ministere
de Ia Culture et des Communications.
L'identification seule, meme si elle est combinee a Ia mise en
place d 'un cadre reglementaire, est souvent insuffisante pour assurer
Ia protection du patrimoine. L'information et Ia promotion
de ce patrimoine aupres du public et des proprietaires sont essentielles.
Leur impact est important parce que cela exige generalement
la mise en place d'outils plus visibles. Cependant,
contrairement aux autres outils developpes par Ia Ville, cette derniere
serie de mesures n'est pas du ressort exclusif de Ia municipalite.
Le role des groupes d'interet et des associations est tout
aussi present sur Ia scene montrealaise. Les outils d'information
peuvent etre divises selon la clientele-cible (grand public ou proprieta
ires) et en fonction des orientations souhaitees. La question
de Ia diffusion et de l'accessibilite de !'information est cruciale.
L'information aupres du public est surtout du ressort des
groupes d'interet, ou encore le fruit de cooperations entre ceuxci
et Ia Ville de Montreal"'. Visites guidees, conferences publiques
et reportages televises, radiophoniques et journalistiques sont
autant d 'outils que !'on trouve dans Ia plupart des administrations
municipales. Cependant, un outil specifique a Montreal
merite d'etre mentionne ; !'Operation patrimoine architectural
de Montreal mise en place en 1990 par Ia Ville en collaboration
avec Heritage Montreal. II s'agit d'un programme de promotion
du patrimoine vernaculaire qui combine decouverte du patrimoine
et mesures incitatives aupres des proprietaires : durant
quelques semaines, plusieurs batiments sont selectionnes par les
membres du Service du patrimoine de la Ville- pour Ia qualite
des efforts d 'entretien et/ ou de renovation faits par les proprietaires
- et regroupes en differentes categories (architecture residentielle,
architecture commerciale, etc.). Les medias sont
ensuite mis a contribution dans le but de diffuser !'information.
Des articles pub lies durant plusieurs semaines presentent soit les
batiments selectionnes, soit des enjeux de Ia preservation et de la
renovation du patrimoine vernaculaire. De plus, depuis l'ete
2001, un site Internet a ete mis en place pour presenter des circuits-decouverte"-
L'evenement se termine par !'election des
grands laureats pour chaque categorie de batiments, recompenses
par des prix financiers. La contribution du grand public est
sollicitee puisqu'il participe a !'identification des batiments
(concours

JSSAC I JSEAC 2 7. n ~ 3. 4 C200 2J
Ill. 4. Selon qu'on en propose une photo plus ou mains travaillee , les Habitations Jeanne-Mance, ensemble d'habitations
sociales qui occupe une superficie d'un ki lometre cam~ dans le centre-ville Est, sont cons i d€m~es comme un patrimoine
du xx• siecle ou comme un exces des operations du «urban renewal» de l'apres-guerre.
{Photo Yona JE!brak)
architectural
de Montreal
est une reussite sur plusieurs points : le programme a su
susciter !'interet des medias et du public eta contribue a sensibiliser
les Montrealais. Cependant, aucune etude n'a encore ete realisee
pour mesurer les resultats du programme sur les
batiments selectionnes (entretien et protection effective, valeur
fonciere, etc.).
L'information aupres des proprietaires constitue !'element
clef de Ia protection et du main hen au quotidien de la qualM architecturale
des batiments a caractere patrimonial. Cependant, Ia
OU l'on pOU!Tait s'attendre a une publication consequente d'information
de Ia part de Ia Ville, on ne trouve que quelques brochures
explicatives sur l'tme ou !'autre des caracteristiques du
patrimoine montrealais (comment entretenir et reparer Ia ma­

IlL 5. Les enseignes peintes sur les murs aveugles sont un patrimoine . ephemere par nature.
mais combien authentique dans leur contribution a Ia specificite et Ia distinction d"un paysage construit.
(Photo Yona JE!brak)
inspiree des realisations faites par les organismes internationaux
? Les amendements apportes a Ia Loi sur les monuments
historiques de 1963 reconnaissaient pour Ia premiere fois !'existence
d 'ensembles hi storiques au Quebec. De plus, des Ia creation
de Ia Cha rte de Venise en 1964, des experts canadiens et
quebecois se sont penches sur Ia question de Ia gestion locale du
patrimoine. Cependant, le discours preconise sur Ia scene montrealaise
est ambigu puisque Ia creation de !'arrondissement historique
du Vieux Montreal s'accompagne ailleurs dans Ia ville de
programmes de demolition des quartiers anciens. La refonte de
Ia Loi sur les biens culturels du Quebec en 1985 est elle-meme
plus une volonte du gouvernement de clarifier le role des municipalites
dans Ia protection du patrimoine et d 'officialiser, en
quelque sorte, le retrait que !'on constatait depuis quelque temps
deja du gouvernement provincial dans les affaires municipales
plut6t qu'un alignement avec le mouvement international'' . La
seule reference aux outils internationaux dans les outils de Ia
Ville de Montreal se trouvait dans les rapports annuels du Comite
consultatif de Montreal sur Ia protection des biens culturels
... jusqu'a ce que cette mention soit enlevee du rapport en
1996. Cela ne reflete done pas tant une veritable volonte politique
que !'interet de certains professionnels pour ce qui se passe sur
Ia scene internationale".
Plus recemment, en 2000, une etude exhaustive sur l'etat du
patrimoine au Quebec mettait en evid ence le role croissant des
organismes internationaux, et en particulier celui de !'UNESCO,
dans l'elargissement de Ia notion de patrimoine et dans son
aspect de plus en plus multidisciplinaire. Une serie d'orientations
eta it proposee dans le but de mettre en place une politique
provinciale du patrimoine. Sans toutefois faire explicitement reference
aux textes internationaux, ces orientations reprenaient
les recommandations preconisees sur la scene internationale : ri ­
chesse collective et partagee, outils de protection et de diffusion,
rapport entre patrimoine et environnement, recherche et formation
continue, processus de decision democratiques et transparents,
information, communication et sensibilisation,
fi nancement, etc. ".
On peut done faire deux constats. Le premier est le fait que
Ia planification et l'amenagement locau x sont influences par un
certain nombre de facteurs et d 'acteurs qui peuvent ou non a voir
un interet lie au patrimoine urbain. Le contexte nord-america in
est axe sur les droits de propriete, une notion qui donne en
quelque sorte les pleins pouvoirs au prive. A l'echelle du batiment,
le role du domaine public reste done relativement mineur
par rapport au potentiel que represente Ia protection et Ia mise
en valeur du patrimoine. Le second est Ia nature meme des
chartes et des recommandations
inte rnationales .
Celles-ci n'ont pas
toujours force de
loi et preconisent
surtout Ia prise de responsabilite des gouvernements". Elles
peuvent susciter ['attention des intervenants du milieu a l'enjeu
patrimonial, mais ne peuvent forcer I' action'"· Au Canada, Ia gestion
du patrimoine releve des municipalites locales alors que
c'est le gouvernement federal qui adhere aux conventions internationales
(ces documents, dans Ia hierarchie des textes internationaux,
sont les plus aptes a engager la responsabilite des
autorites)''. De plus, depuis environ une vingtaine d'annees, on
constate que le nombre de textes internationaux est en croissance,
amenant une certaine confusion entre les differents outils et
une meconnaissance- ou le manque d 'une vision globale coherente
-chez les intervenants locaux. Le discours exprime dans
les textes internationaux a egalement change: alors qu'ils proposaient
des mesures et des actions a prendre, Ia tendance actuelle
est de redefinir certains concepts, telle l'authenticite, concepts
qui semblent tout d'abord trap flous pour etre utilises dans les
outils locaux.
Les mouvements internationaux de protection du patrimoine
et Ia gestion locale s'opposent-ils ou se completent-ils ? La
prise en compte des outils internationaux est-elle pertinente
pour Ia gestion quotidienne du patrimoine a Montreal ? L'interet
des outils internationaux s'articule autour de trois axes principaux.
Le premier concerne Ia mise en place d 'un reseau d 'expertise
et de cooperation immense. L'echange p ennet le
developpement des connaissances necessaires relatives aux methodes
et a Ia legislation pour promouvoir Ia protection et Ia
conservation du patrimoine et met en evidence Ia pluralite du
patrimoine. Les etudes comparatives, Ia circulation des concepts
et des idees dans plusieurs domaines lies au patrimoine (l 'integration
du cadre ancien dans Ia ville contemporaine, Ia gestion
des batiments, la relation patrimoine-tourisme, Ia notion de developpement
durable, Ia valeur economique des batiments, etc.)
sont favorises. Le deuxieme axe est Ia mise en place d 'un dialogue
entre les gom·ernements et les populations locales. Les textes
permettent une opinion publique et une sensibilisation qui ne
se limitent pas a l'environnement immediat des gens. Grace aux
conferences, aux colloques et aux publications qui decoulent de
leur existence, les groupes internationaux et intergouvernementaux
permettent un forum de discussions, d 'echanges et de
debats. Un dialogue peut s'etablir et mettre en evidence les
45

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 , n~ 3. 4 >, ICOMOS Canada Bulletin
, vo!. 1, no 1.
2. Schuster, J. Mark, John de
Monchaux, et Charles A. Riley II
(dir.), 1997, Preserving the Built Heritage:
Tools for Implementation, Hanover,
NH, University Press of
New England.
3. Lors du seminaire de Salzburg
(1995), J. Mark Schuster et
J. de Monchaux identifient cinq
ca tegories d'actions que les gouvernements
nationaux ou loca ux
peuvent prendre, Ia cinquieme
etant Je renforcement OU J'etablissement
des droits de propriete.
Dans le cas de Montrea l, cette dern.iere
categorie ne s'applique pas.
4. Caron, Alai n et a/., 1995, La
prise de decision en urbanisme,
2e edition, Quebec, Les publications
du Quebec.
5. Gendron, Guy, 1999,

Daniel Millette
Re-Building Memories:
On the Reconstruction
of a "Traditional" Longhouse'
Fig. 1. Tsawwa ssen Longhouse under construction : the first frame pierces the second and
reaches upwards to form a 12 metres high, pitched roof.
(Photo : Daniel Millette)
Daniel Millette co111pleted his Ph.D. at tlze Un iversity of British Colu111bia
and is now engaged in post-doctoral work at the lnstit zz t de recherche sur /'arclzitecture
antique in Aix-en-Provence.
]SSAC I ]SEAC 27, n" 3, 4 (2002) ; 47-50.
The disappearance of traditions is a world cultural phenomena
and not a new one. Lamenting the loss of "the old ways,"
for example, goes back at least to the Roman times and probably
much earlier. However, the increasing frequency and rapid acceleration
of the loss of cultural mores is somewhat a more recent
occurrence. This has been well documented in countries like
France, where Pierre Nora, amongst others, speaks of disappearing
milieux.' In Canada, where there has been an ongoing decline
of traditional ways at least since the arrival of Europeans,
there seems to be a reluctance to recogni ze that occurrence. And
nowhere is that more prevalent than w ithin the world of First
Nations, w here customs and belief systems have, to a great extent,
been forgotten. Or have they?
This paper focuses on what had been thought to be a disappea
ring milieu: the traditional institution of the Coast Salish longhouse.'
The longhouse was, or "is" ra ther, associated with a host
of cultura l practices such as naming ceremonies, family and
community law dispensation, and communal actions such as
weddings. I want to briefl y look at the architecture that houses
this institution, leaving out the cultural activities per se and simply
considering the design, which-for its amalga mati on of traditional
and modern construction techniques alone-is worth a
cl ose look. This descriptive paper is only the beginning of a
broader study that encompasses the social implica tions of the
longhouse and provides a theoretica l framework for its study
and it concentrates on the Tsawwassen community, located
along the shores of the Georgia Strait, approximately one hour
south of Vancouver, British Columbia. A simple argument is
used: traditional building designs, assumed to have disappeared
at Tsawwassen, remain and, in fact, combine with present-day
materials and techniques to form a new "type" that has, as of yet,
not been considered by the architectural literature.
Probably the best chroniclers of North-American native architecture
are Peter Nabokov and Robert Easton;' their descripti
ve accounts of the structures erected by First Nations are
brought together in their book on Native America n Architecture
as they link bands, tribes, and clans to geography, building rna-
47

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n ~ 3. 4

Fig. 4. Tsawwassen Longhouse- front elevation.
(Drawing : Daniel Millette)
including the Musqueam, located north of the Tsawwassen village.
It was a shed-roofed building, sloped towards the rear, with
four main posts, the back ones lower than the front ones. Large
beams-approximately 20 to 22 metres long-spanned from
front to back. There may have been additional posts at intermediate
distances between the front and the back, depending on the
span and beam strength. Poles extended from beam to beam, and
from post to post; cedar planks covered the entire outer surfaces
(roof and walls) and there were partitions inside! There was little
or no decoration. '"
Still according to Barnett's notes and interviews carried out
in the 1930's" with Tsawwassen Chief Joe, the longhouse (as occupied
by Chief Joe in the 1860's) was split into two spaces, one
some 55 metres long, while the other, approximately 95 metres.
That was a large structure and the recollections of Chief Joe reflect
the general observations of Nabokov and Easton. Evidence
found in the course of archaeological excavations during the
1980's also confirms much of his depiction." No doubt a longhouse
survived at Tsawwassen and, when interviewed, today's
elders have similar recollections of its features. 13 That brings me
to the present longhouse.
When in 1998 the people of Tsawwassen decided to build a
new longhouse, they wanted more than a place that could be
used for cultural practices. They wanted a longhouse that would,
on the one hand, have features in keeping with ancient mores
and practices, while on the other, they wanted a building that
would consider contemporary realities: building materials, construction
techniques, and fire precautions all had to be taken into
account. In other words, the building would have to accommodate
large traditional fire pits and a more modern food preparation
area, all the while taking into account present-day fire safety
concerns. It was primarily through interviews with elders and
other cultural advisors, and secondarily through advice from
building trades, that a design solution was found. According to
cultural advisors, there are no drawings for that building, the
whole having been done through verbal instructions.
"Tsawwassen," of course, translates to "facing the sea." So it
should come as no surprise that the site chosen to build the new
longhouse would be located along the shore. The original site
was made completely unusable as the major highway" leading
to a ferry causeway was built atop its ruins. Thus the selected
area is relatively prominent, not as inconspicuous as more traditional
examples.
Two frames delineate the space resulting from the design
(fig. 1): one is a traditional post-and-beam structure that generally
reflects the above description of a longhouse, although we are
not talking about a shed-roofed structure. The second is a contemporary
stud wall system that encloses, for the most part, the
former. The first frame pierces the second and reaches upwards
to form a 12 metres high, pitched roof (fig. 2). It is supported by
large posts resting on concrete pads. The posts are some 70 centimetres
in diameter and are linked together at the top by beams,
about 22 metres across. The bays resulting from the post-andbeam
assemblies are linked, laterally, with beams, also about
50 centimetres in width. Smaller cross-members are installed
throughout. The eight posts-four on each side-define what
will be the main, unobstructed space inside. The roof assembly is
made up of an A-frame of 50 centimetres beams tied together
with smaller cross-members. These roof "trusses" are part of the
traditional frame and operate independently of the outer frame.
With the outer frame, are standard "2 x 6" studs, just over 5 metres
in height, anchored to a plate directly onto a concrete footing.
The top of that stud wall supports the secondary section of
the roof. With the exception of the latter roof section being tied to
the post-and-beam structure, the outer frame works independently
of the inner one.
The whole makes for an impressive set of dimensions:
45 x 22 metres in overall surface, excluding the main entrance
niche, with a roof extending to, as above-mentioned, some
22 metres in height. The result of course is the juxtaposition and
amalgamation of two techniques. When we consider the exterior
wall and roof sheathing, the melange becomes apparent (fig. 3):
the post-and-beam structure is covered with plywood sheathing
and asphalt shingles, while the stud wall frame is covered with
traditional cedar planks, cut from logs specifically brought to the
site for that purpose. We thus have the traditional covered with
a contemporary material, and the contemporary covered with a
traditional material. Once the roofing and wall sheathing is complete,
the exterior appears as a single, relatively well-unified
structure. The elevation drawings (fig. 4 and 5) show that there
are few openings; the whole is solemn and, with the exception of
two decorative posts installed to each side of the entrance-they
are not on the drawings or photographs-, there are no decorative
features.
49

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n~ 3. 4

l :frul:ltJ:tn:l:c~tJ:U
Susan D. Bronson
Binning Residence,
West Vancouver
Fig. 1. The Binning residence (1941) in West Vancouver, designed by artist B.C. Binning and
constructed in consultation with architects C .E. Pratt and RA.D. Berwick, represents an early
and remarkably intact example of a new approach to residential design in Canada during the
modern era .
(Photograph by Graham Warnngton. c. 1951 . B.C . Binning Fonds, Collection Centre Cana dien
d'Archltecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture , Montreal)
Ce rapport Jut presente iJ In reunion de nouembre 7 997 de In Conunission des
lieux et 1101111111ents lristoriques du Canada. Ln ministre du Pntrimoine
cnnndieu n declare In maison Binning lieu lristorique national du Cauadn en
1998 a In suite de In reconnnnndation jiworable de Ia Commission et uue
plaque de bro 11 ze a ete apposee pour mnrquer cette reconnaissnuce en 2001.
Susnu Brouson is an architect wlro teaches nt tire School of Architecture of tire
Uuirersite de Moiitren/. Sire exewted t/1is report while 1l'orking as a CO IIsultnnt
for Parks Canada in 1997.
jSSAC I jSEAC 27, n ~ 3, 4 (2002) ; 51 -64.
The Binning residence (Fig. 1) was designed by well-known
Canadian artist B.C. Binning (1909-76) and constructed in
collaboration with consulting architects C.E. Pratt and R. A. D.
Berwick 1 during the early years of the Second World War. At the
time, the house and its garden demonstrated an i.tmovative approach
to residential design and construction that had an influence
on postwar resid ences on the West Coast and in other
parts of Canada, as well as on the integration of art and architecture
in postwar buildings of various types. The property, which
is in a remarkable state of preservation, represents an early testimony
of the cultural phenomena - the changing social, economic,
and political conditions, the rapid technological advances,
and new ways of responding to form and responding to functional
demands- that i.t1fluenced the design and production of the
buildings, ensembles and sites of the Modern era.' It is listed in
the heritage in ventory of the District of West Vancouver,' and
there is interest in pursuing its designation at the municipal
level.'
This report discusses the potential national significa nce of
the Binning residence in fi ve parts that correspond to the criteria
for the built heritage of the Modern era: Part 1 deals with the
property as an illustration of the changing social, economic, and
political conditions of its days; Part 2 focuses on its design as a
new expression of form and response to functional demands;
Part 3 addresses the technological advances applied to its design
and construction; Part 4 exami.t1es its impact on subsequent
work; and Part 5 summarizes its integrity.
Social, Economic, and Political Conditions
The Binning residence is largely a personal response to mid-20th
century social, economic, and political conditions by a man who
was to become one of Ca nada's leading promoters of Modernist
ideology. Despite communica tion barriers imposed by the Rocky
Mountains, the lack of disposable income in the aftermath of the
Depression, and the shortage of materials and manpower during
the Second World War, artist B.C. Binning pursued his educa tion
in Canada, the United States, and England, and returned to Vancouver
in the late 1930s prepared to make a major impact on residential
design on the West Coast. Teaming up with two young
architects who ha d recen tl y arrived from the east, he created a
51

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n ~ 3. 4 C2002l
Fig. 2. B.C . Binning (1909-1976).
one of Canada 's most well-known
artists, taught art and architecture in
th e School of Architecture at the
University of British Columbia
(UBC) and directed its Department
of Fine Arts.
(Reproduced from Le Solei! de Colombie.
May 14 . 1976. in biographical file on B.C.
Binning. Vancouver Art Gallery.)
Fig. 5. When the Binnings first began to think about the design of their home in the late
1930s, the most popular residential styles on the West Coast were traditional in their rendering.
(" 100 Years of B.C. living." in Western Homes and Living. January 1958, pp. 41, 42 .)
Fig. 3. The Binning residence is located in the District
of West Vancouver, a popular suburb of Vancouver
because of its close proximity to downtown , hilly to·
pography, and splendid views.
(Rhodri Windsor Liscombe , The New Spirit Modern Architecture
in Vancouver. 1938-1963 (MontreaiNancouver: Canadian Centre
for Architecture/Douglas & Mcintyre , 1997}. p. 25.)
Fig . 4. The Binning property, which was located on a
quiet street and possessed lots of trees. sloped down
towards the water. One of the smallest lots in its immediate
neighbourhood, it was evaluated at $ 600 in
1942.
(Corporation of the Oistricl of West Vancouver. Legal Composite
Map.)
building that could
serve as a model for an
economical and efficient
approach to residential
design and for the expression
of artistic and
architectural ideas that
he and his West Coast
colleagues would continue
to develop and
promote for the next
three decades.
Bertram Charles
(better known as B.C.)
Binning (Fig. 2) was
born in Medicine Hat,
Alberta, in 1909. His
family moved to Vancouver
in 1913 and, with
the exception of short
periods of foreign study,
the West Coast became
his home for the rest of
his life. When he was
young, Binning spent
time in the architectural
office of his grandfather,
but prolonged illness
during high school and
lack of local opportunities
led him to pursue
his higher education in
art instead of architecture.'
He graduated in
1932 from the Vancouver
School of Art, which
he later described as "a
quiet little provincial art
school taught by a staff
of teachers who had come over from England and Scotland,"•
and then taught there from 1934 until1949. Feeling that the West
Coast was cut off from exciting developments underway elsewhere/
Binning broadened his outlook and pursued his artistic
training by studying at the University of Oregon under Eugene
Gustav Steinhof in 1936. After his marriage that same year, he
and his wife Jessie went to London, England, where he spent a
year studying under such well-known Modern artists as Bernard
w---"'"'- &
._._,C_I\oo_lo_e c..t~o< ...__ ,..._.,""' ...... .,.....,,., ....., ___ .. 1nr,._ _
--. c~..._,...,ow~

SUSAN D. BRONSON l:fi!:l:l:tJ:Ift:t:ctiJ:II
Fig . 6. Although "Modern house" design - characterized in the 1930s by such features as a ftat roof, simple volumes. lack of ornament.
and open plan - wa s being promoted during the 1930s in some parts of Canada. such as Ontario and Quebec, it was not
popular in British Columbia and it was not promoted by the federal government. All of the prize-winning designs of the 1936 Ontario
Small House Competition (left) were based on the principles of modernism. but there were very few prize-winning entries to the 1936
Dominion Housing Competition (right) that came close to reflecting a modernist image.
r Award s in the Ontario Government Housing Competition." Journal. Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, VoL 13, No. 8 (August 1936]. p. t52 1teft] : A.S.
Mathers. -o ominion Housing Competition ," Joumal. RAIC, Vol. 15. No. 4 (April 19381. p. 9 1 (right].)
Fig . 7. During the early years of the war. the Wartime
Housing Limited homes constructed by the federal
government across the country fell into four standard
types. Designed to be temporary and demountable .
they were simple in their formal expression and layout.
and economical in their construction. In the
Vancouver area , traditional wood-frame construction
and clapboard replaced prefabricated panels and asbestos
siding due to the wartime shortage of plywood
in the area .
(Burwell R. Coon. ·wartime Housing: Journal, RAIC, Vol. 19 ,
No. 1 (Janua ry 1942}. p. 7.)
Realizi ng that it
had to take the lead in resolving
this nationwide
problem, the federal government
created Wartime
Housing Limited (WHL)
in 1941. Thousands of
homes were constructed
across the country by
WHL until it was dismantled
and replaced
some six years Ia ter by
the newly established
Central Mortgage and
Housing Corporation
(CHMC). Although new
approaches to "Modern"
residential design
characterized by such
features as simple volumes,
fla t roofs, lack of
ornament, and open
planning - were being
explored during the
1930s in some parts of the
country (Fig. 6), 17 the
"temporary" WHL houses
of the early 1940s were
relatively traditional in appearance, constructed according to
standardized models (Fig. 7). Nevertheless, these wartime
homes were i.Imovative i.I1 terms of their efficient response to an
urgent social need, their simplicity of form, and their economical
approach to construction.
Binning's goal, in the design of his home, was to develop a
residential model that would combine a Modern approach to
form and fw1ction with economy and effi ciency of construction,
and at the sa me time make use of local materials and up-to-date
construction technologies. Similar objectives for governmentsponsored
WHL housing, designed to be demounted after the
wa r, introduced prefabricated components (such as plywood
panels) and new materials (such as asbestos siding) that could be
salvaged for postwar construction. '" In Vancouver, however, the
shortage of plywood (which was manufactured locally but sent
to the east for war-related priorities) for prefabrica tion led to the
construction of the standard designs according to traditional
wood-frame and clapboard construction.'•
Fig. 8. Architect Peter M. Thornton's
first house (1938-39) in West Vancouver
was one of a very small
number of residences constructed
during the 1930s on the West Coast
that experimented with the principles
of modernism. It possesses a
gently sloping roof and generous
fenestration . and makes use of postand-beam
construction and local
stone.
(Tony Archer, 1947. Journal, RAIC, VoL 24 ,
No. 6 {June 1947].)
Fig. 9. Architect C.BK Van Norman's
residence for his family
(1938-39) in Vancouver. constructed
in collaboration with Thornton , Birmingham
, and McKee, also experimented
with the vocabulary of
modernism . It was demolished in
1994.
(Tony Archer, 1947. Journal, RAIC, Vol. 24 ,
No. 6fJune 1947].)
Very few priva te
homes were constructed
in Canada during the Second World War, largely due to society's
focus on other priorities and the government's restrictions on
manpower and materials for initiatives not related to the war effort.
Homes that explored Modern design principles were even
more scarce: prior to the construction of the Bilu1ing residence in
1941, only a couple of Modern homes had been realized in the
Vanco uver area. Nevertheless, the city was beginning to attract
energetic young architects from the east in a trend that would
continue into the postwar era, making the West Coast a centre for
experimentation and iimova tive transa tlantic design.'" Many of
those who settled there, both during and after the war, were
artist and architect friends of the Binnings and shared their enthusiasm
for the Modern way of Jiving. In 1938-39, architect
Peter M. Thornton, who had just immigrated from England after
studying at the Architectural Association in London, built a twostorey
home for his mother in West Vancouver; his design made
use of local fieldstone and wood in a manner that refl ected his
knowledge of European Modernism (Fig. 8)." At the same time,
architect C.B.K. Van Norman, who had studied at the University
of Manitoba in the 1920s, experimented with Modernism in the
two-storey Vancouver residence he designed for his family in
collaboration wi th Thornton and two other young architects,
William H. Birmingham and Robert McKee (Fig. 9). Like Thornton's
home, this simple rectangular building was clad in local
stone and wood siding, and possessed a gently sloping roo£.2' In
1939, R.A. D. (Bob) Berwick, who had recently arrived from the
east following studies at the University of Toronto, designed and
built a low-lying Modernist residence for himself in West Va n­
couver (this house was substantially renovated in 1948 following
a flood). 03 53

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4

SUSAN D. BRONSON tml:lfltJ:ta:ta:ll m1
Fig. 15. The second entrance mural
(top), probably painted in the 1950s,
was more abstract than the fi rst. The
third one (bottom). a minimalist combina
tion of white and yellow, has recently
been renewed.
(Reproduced from slide belonging to Jessie
Binning. documentation file. B.C . Btnning
Fonds, Collection Centre Canadien d'Archi·
lecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture.
Montreal [top] : S. D. Bronson, September
1997 jbottomj)
Fig . 17. The living-dining room is dominated
by a stone fireplace wall. Its furn iture is
light in weight and simple in design. With
the exception of the addition of a sofa and
a television (bottom), little has changed
since the 1940s (top).
(Reproduced from c. 1948 slide belonging to
Jessie Binning, docume ntation file, B.C . Binmng
Fonds. Collection Centre Canadien d'Archltec·
lure/Canadian Centre for Architecture. Montreal
{top] ; S.D. Bronson. September 1997[bottom])
Fig . 16. The hallway, which doubles as a gallery, is
fi lled with light from the south -facing clerestory windows.
The end (west) wall is defined by an abstract
mural , and the cedar v-join t to the right provides a
backdrop for an ever-changing selection of paintings.
Built-in shelving accommodate s books and
art objects. To the left, a partition with rolled glass
set in 24" squares allows additional light to enter
from the living room. The present-day view (right)
confirms that little has changed since the earlier
photograph was taken in the late 1940s (left).
(Reproduced from c. 1948 slide belonging to Jessie Binning.
documentation file, B.C. Binning Fonds. Collection Centre
Canadien d'Archilecture/Canadian Centre for Architecture.
Montreat pert]: S.D. Bronson . September 1997 {right])
yond, and the second bedroom,
or study, and the
studio looked out to the
upper terrace and garden .
A lso, as will be discussed
in Part 3 below, Binning's
respect for the environm
ent was confirmed
through his use of local
rna teria ls, esp ecially
wood but also stone. 30
Since 1941 the relationship
between the Binning
residence and its
immediate environment
has changed little, while
substantial p arts of its
la rger context of West
Vancouver and the
greater Vancouver area in
general have changed a
great deal, developing in
a m anner that reflects the
economic pressures imposed
by rapid suburban
growth and the recent necessity
to house a massive
p opulation influx.
The interrelationships between the form of the house and its
various functions, both characteri zed by economy and effici ency,
are also remarkably intact today. The visitor is directed down
from the street towards the entrance by a comfortably proporti
oned stairway (Fig. 13), p assing the upper garden and arriving
at the upper terrace beside the low building, w hich is clad mostly
i11 cedar v-joint boards and capped by an overhanging fla t roof
(Figs. 13-15). A lively mural by B.C. Binning (discussed in detail
below) defines the corner and signals the main entrance door,
which is down a few more stairs and sheltered from the elements
by a cantilevered canopy. One then enters the hallway (Figs. 12,
16), a long gallery space defined by a subtly curved wall of cedar
v-joint vertical boards to the right and a wide opening into the
li ving-dining area to the left. The visitor is once again confronted
w ith a B.C. Binning a rti stic crea ti on, a p owerful mural that
terminates the west end of the hall way. Displayed in the hallway
gall ery is a selection of paintings- intended to change periodically,
consisting either of a sin gle work or a grouping- embelli
shing the cedar wall, w hich is lined w ith low, built-in shelving
fill ed w ith books and Oriental
pottery and topped with
a few carefully selected a rt
objects. The space is filled
w ith natural light from
south-facing clerestory wind
ows, which provide constantly
changing illumination
as the sun moves over the course of the day. Except for the
"temporary" addition of a new shelf unit at the west end of the
hallway, the design of the original space and its furnishings a re
completely intact (Fig. 16).
The generously prop ortioned living-dining area (Figs. 12,
17) is dominated by a fireplace wall built by local artisans of
fi eldstone from nearby Cypress Creek." It was here that the
house came alive with energy as artists and architects, including
Richard Neutra, gathered fo r "fireside chats" about how they
could improve the world by creating a better balance between art
and living." The hearth forms a focal point for the arrangement
of lightweight canvas-and-wood chairs and a built-in sofa facing
the view. Above the sofa, a semi-transp arent partition, the upper
portion of w hich is made up of tinted rolled glass set in square
wood frames, forms a backdrop for displaying some of Binning's
small er works. The w ide opening between the living room and
the hall is spanned by a curtain rod; originally, Jessie Binning
thought that it would be necessary to separate the more public
hallway-gallery from the li ving-dining area - up to 60 visitors
came through the house at a time, according to one source'' ­
but, as it turned out, she and her husband frequently entertained
small groups of friends and acquaintances who came to view
B.C. Binning's p aintings and to socia lize, and the li ving-dining
area became an extension of the gallery-hallway and vice versa.
The same may be said of the trellised lower terrace and the ga r­
den below (Figs. 1, 12, 18), w hich physically ex tended the living
space. The living-dining room remains unchanged, except for the
recent addition of a television and a sofa on the south side of the
room (Fig. 17).
Beside the dining room is the kitchen (Figs. 12, 19), w ith its
U-shaped layout of fir plywood cabinets added with chrom e
handles. A window facing east floods the room w ith m orning
li ght, and a doorway opens out to the side terrace. An enclosed
stairway leads to the basem ent. At the other end of the ha llway,
a narrow door opens into the bathroom, w hich possesses the
sa me plywood cabinets as the ki tchen . Both the kitchen and
ba throom have undergone minor modifica tions over time- the
appliances in the kitchen have been replaced , the bathroom has
new fixtures and tile, and skylights have recently been installed
55

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . nM 3, 4 (20021
Fig. 18. Floor-to-ceiling glazed doors
open onto the main terrace . extending
the living-dining room into the garden.
Comparison of the 1940s view (topj
and the present-day view (bottom) reveals
that very little has changed.
(Photograph of c. 1948 slide belonging to
Jessie Binning, documentation file. B.C. Bmning
Fonds, Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/Ca
nadlan Centre for Architecture,
Montreal [top}: S.D. Bronson. September 1997
[bottom])
Fig. 20. The guest bedroom possesses
a study nook with a built-in desk
and shelve s.
(Reproduced from c. 1948 slide belonging to
Jessie Binning, documentation file. B.C. Binning
Fonds, Collection Centre Canadien d'Archilecture/Canadian
Centre for Architecture .
Montreal)
Fig. 19. The kitchen and bathroom feature the original
built-in plywood cabinets with chrome handles.
Since 1941 , new appliances have been installed in
the kitchen and new tiles and fixtures have been installed
in the bathrooms. Skylights have also been
installed in both rooms.
(S. D. Bronson , September 1997)
- but are otherwise intact.
In the southwest corner
of the house, a compact
master bedroom is
designed to seem larger
by its generous south-facing
windows and its builtin
headboard, drawers,
and closet (Fig. 12).
Across the hallway, a
short stairway leads to the
guest bedroom, which
also possesses a built-in
headboard. This room,
which has a window facing
the upper terrace and
garden, features a small
study nook with a desk,
above which are built-in
shelves carrying, to this
day, some of B.C. Binning's
standard references
on art and architecture (Figs. 20, 21). A short hall leads to the studio
at the northeast corner of the building; part of the wood floor
is inset with linoleum and splashes of paint confirm that this was
where the artist worked at his easel. In addition to generous windows
looking out on the upper garden, and a door to the terrace,
this room, the exterior of which accommodates the entrance
mural, possesses a band of high windows facing north and east
(Figs. 12, 14, 15, 21).
Throughout the house and garden, one cannot help but be
aware of an overpowering sense of the harmonious and dynamic
integration of abstract art and new architectural forms. By providing
a muralled hallway-gallery for an ever-changing selection
of his paintings (Fig. 16), which were also displayed throughout
the other rooms of his home (Figs. 17, 20, 21), and by painting a
sequence of murals on the exterior entrance wall to enhance the
point of arrival (Figs. 14, 15), B.C. Binning ensured that his domestic
environment would evolve in response to the development
of his art, which became increasingly abstract over his
35-year tenure." inside, comparison of the photographs taken at
different times in the history of the house" reveals that the selection
of paintings on display changed often; Jessie Binning confirmed
that she sometimes had to be very insistent, during her
husband's lifetime, to ensure that her favourite older works were
not sold or replaced by more recent pieces."'
Outside, B.C. Binning
painted three different
murals on the corner wall
that enclosed his studio,
which was covered with
plaster. The first, executed
during the 1940s, perhaps
before 1948 when he took
a sabbatical year from
teaching to paint and his
work underwent a dramatic
change," was a joyful,
abstract composition
of seaside motifs - fish,
light towers, sail boats,
and the like - set within
an architectural grid of
water and sky (Figs. 13,
14). The second mural,
which probably dates to
the 1950s, was more geometric,
corresponding to
Fig. 21 . To this day, a selection of B.C. Binning's
seminal references on art and architecture is kept in
the shelves above his desk (see Figure 20). A short
passage leads to his studio .
(S. D. Bronson, Septe mber 1997)
a more abstract phase in his work (Fig. 15). 38 His last mural,
which was deteriorated and has recently been renewed by a local
artist to match its original colours and texture, may have been
painted after 1968, when he retired from his position as Director
of UBC's Department of Fine Arts so that he could devote more
time to painting. Its composition, in tones of yellow and white, is
bold and minimalist (Fig. 15). These murals confirm Binning's
conviction that the aesthetic criteria of harmony, integrity, order,
and balance work for art and architecture alike.
Only two other major changes have modified the design of
the property over the course of its history. In 1966, the car shelter
beside the street was replaced by a garage, which exploited the
sloping site to include a workshop and storage space underneath
(Fig. 22). In 1989, a bathroom was added to serve the guest bedroom
on the west side of the house (Fig. 23). Both of these modifications,
which were carried out in response to new fwKtional
requirements, respect the integrity of the original design intentions.
Technological Advances
While the Binning residence does not distinguish itself in terms
of technological innovation, it constitutes an early illustration of
a number of important technological advances that were applied
to West Coast residential architecture during the Modern era. It
exemplified an economical and efficient approach to residential
56

SUSAN D. BRONSON l:m:l:lll:tn:l::l:l:tl:U
Fig. 22 . In 1966. the Binnings constructed a garage to replace an earlier shelter for their car.
This structure is still intact.
r Proposed Garage for Mr. & Mrs. B.C . Btnning ." May 10, 1966, reproduced from microfiche files in Oistnct of
West Vancouver Plannmg Department)
Fig. 23. In 1989. a bathroom was added to the west side of the house. The addition was executed
in a manner that respects the integrity of the original architectural design and the site.
(Geoffrey Massey Architect. ·Addihons to Binning Residence ," May 6 . 1989. reproduced from microfiche files in
District of West Vancouver Planning Department.)
construction and exploited the advantages offered by such features
of Modern design as flat roofs and new approaches to postand-beam
structure w ith concrete foundation walls. Designed
and constructed dming the war when construction materials and
labour were difficult to secure for private homes, it made use of
local materials and techniques in new ways that were later applied
to postwar residential construction.
When it was constructed in 1941, the Binning residence was
one of the earliest flat-roofed houses in the Vancouver region,
and perhaps the first flat-roofed house in the area to qualify for
a federa lly financed mortgage:"' Although the flat roof had been
a feature of residential architecture in some parts of Canada,
such as the Montreal area, for decades,'" sloped roofs were far
more common on West Coast residential buildings of the 1930s
and early 1940s (Fig. 5). A few architects in the Vancouver area,
however, were beginning to experiment with this type of construction
by the late 1930s; the houses that Binning's colleagues
Peter Thornton and C.B.K. Van Norman designed for themselves
(Figs. 8, 9), for example, had roofs with very shallow slopes, and
others followed suit in the postwar era.
For Binning and his colleagues, the significance of the flat
roof in residential design extended beyond its stylistic associati
on with Modernism. In addition to encouraging a more contemporary,
low-lying treatment of volume and mass, its
combination with post-and-beam construction allowed the liberation
of the plan and freedom to adapt a house to a sloping site
by taki11g advantage of split levels and varied ceiling heights. It
also opened up the possibility of introducing different roof
planes separated by clerestory windows, and thus admitting
daylight deep into interior spaces." In addition, the Binning residence,
along with other West Coast houses, illustrates how lowlying,
flat-roofed volumes on a sloping site with mature
vegetation virtually disappear within the landscape, rather than
block the view of the neighbours (Fig. 13).
The Binning residence was somewhat innovative in its
structure. The construction drawings ca ll for 8-inch reinforced
concrete foundation walls and a full concrete basement under
part of its volume." This allowed improved structural stability
on its uneven site, as well as necessary storage space and improved
insulation and protection again st vapom transmission
through the floor. At the time, many West Coast homes did not
enjoy the luxury of a basement, thei r designers preferring to take
advantage of the fact that a post-and-beam structure is economical
and rapid to erect on uneven ground because it can be built
on simple foo tings for its posts, rather than on continuous foundation
walls.'' Above the foundation, however, the structure of
the Bilming residence was post-and-beam construction, which
provided an economical and efficient solution that responded to
the design intentions and made the most of British Columbia's
rich forestry resources.
In light of the wartime shortage of construction materials
and labour, most of the materials and building assemblies used
in the Binning residence were traditional, economical, and locally
available. As was the case for so many West Coast homes, the
predominant material was wood. The construction drawings
specify hardwood for the floors i11 the living-dining area and
gallery-hallway, while fir floors, which were more economical,
were proposed for the bedrooms and studio. A different grade of
fir was used for the floors in the kitchen and bathroom, which
were covered with linoleum, as well as the area in the studio
where B.C. Bilming's easel was loca ted. While some of the interior
walls were plastered,'' either painted white or covered with
white burlap, others were finished with cedar v-joint vertical
boards, stained a natural colour (Figs. 16, 18). The latter material
was also used for most of the exterior wall s, with the exception
of the fieldstone of the fireplace wall (which extended outside)
and the corner wall near the entrance (which was finished in
plaster for the entrance mural). Early in the history of the residence,
the cedar v-joint boards, both inside and outside, were
painted off-white as they were turning dark due to age and natural
weathering (Figs. 1, 18)."
As daylight and views were central to the design, glass is
abundant, especially along the south-facing wall (Figs. 1, 18),
which is made up of continuous floor-to-ceiling doors from the
livil1g-dining room and generous windows in the master bedroom;
the north-facing wall possesses slightly smaller windows
in the guest bedroom and studio (Figs. 12, 20), and the latter also
has high windows of tinted glass. Clerestory windows flood the
hallway with light (Fig. 16). Although the construction drawings
suggest that the doors and windows, which were generous in
size compared to the standard windows and doors available at
the time, were custom-designed for the house (Fig. 10), their detailing
reveals that they were conceived in a ma1mer that could
easily be mass-produced. Among the small number of new manufactured
materials featured was the tinted "roll ed ribbed glass,"
which was set in 24-iJKh squares on the upper portion of the par-
57

JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4

SUSAN D. BRONSON l:r!1:l:!.tJ:l.-.. :l:l.::ltl:ll
Fig . 27. The residence of Dr. D. Harold Copp (1950-51 ) in Vancouver was designed by Ron
Thorn , a former student of B.C. Binning . Like the Binning residence. it featured a post-andbeam
structure with generous fenestration that extended its interior into the garden and the
spectacular landscape around it. Low-lying rectangular volumes topped by flat roofs are constructed
on different levels according to the topography of the site, and clerestory windows
allow the penetration of light deep into the interior spaces. Its layout is economical but includes
such necessities of modern families life as a laundry room. two bedrooms for children,
and a master bedroom.
(Ron Thorn . architect, Collection D r. 0 . Harold Copp, reproduced from Windsor Liscombe. The New Sptril, p. 125
(top]: Journal. RAIC. Vol. 40, No. 1 [January 1953], reproduced from Windsor Uscombe, The N ew Sptrit, p. 125
(bottom])
Fig . 26. The John Porter residence (1947-48) in West Vancouver, designed by John Porter architect.
like the B.C. Binning residence, possessed a post-and-beam construction , large expanses
of glass. and a layout on different levels that followed the topography of its site. II
distinguished itself from the B.C. Binning residence by its gently sloping roof.
(Photograph by Tony Archer and plans. Journal, RAIC, VoL 27, No. 9 [September 1950], reproduced from W indsor
Uscombe. The New Spirit, p. 116 (left) and p. 117 (right))
CO ioi WENTS O F TH E JUl Y
~l'ft"'U'..J~ i n lhilc-.
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JSSAC I JSEAC 27. n ~ 3. 4

SUSAN D. BRONSON l:r!'l:l:ltJa..t;IUtl:ll
Fig. 30. To celebrate the creation of the National Gallery's Design Centre in 1954. Canadian Art published a special issue entitled
M1923·1953 C o mp a red .~ The 19231iving-dining room featured overstuffed chairs , a proliferation of different textures and colours
1n th e upholstery and carpets, and an elaborate landscape painting. The 1953 living-dining room possessed simple, lightweight
furniture and a few carefully selected colours and patterns; iJ featured Binmng's abstract painting "Reflected Ship" (1950), and the
entire space was designed ~ t o reflect the wit and style of the Binnings."
(Scott Watson, "Art in the Fifties: Design , Leisure , and Painting in the Age of Anxiety.· in Vancouver Art Gallery. Vancouver Art aod Artists. p. 81)
Fig . 29. Twelve years after the completion of B.C. Binning's
house. architect D .C . Simpson asked Abstract Expressionist
artist John Korner to paint a mural 8-1 /2 feet high x 35
feet long for the living room/patio wall of his second house
(1953). Apparently, the geometric design was inspired by
the brickwork, the architectural and natural settings and the
colour-contrast theory.
(Photograph by Graham Warrington . 1954, Collection B. Simpson , reproduced
from Windsor Liscombe, The New Spirit, p. 10 1)
Vancouver (1952-
53). The successful
impact of his artistic
input on these
spaces is attributed
to his innate interest in architecture. According to one biographer,
he "was a classical spirit that delighted in resolving order
from chaos through the cool, rational rendering of space and
mass. His art is elegantly simple and harmoniously proportioned
in its geometry and architecture ... with every detail exactly as it
must be." 70 In 1962, B.C. Binning was awarded the prestigious Allied
Arts Award by the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada in
recognition of his work as an artist and a teacher, and his promotion
of good architectural design in our contemporary urban
lives.
In addition to procuring future work for himself from architects,
B.C. Binning's house inspired collaborative projects between
other artists and architects: in the second home of architect
D.C. Simpson, built in West Vancouver in 1953 (Fig. 29), Jack
Horner painted a mural to welcome visitors, and the entrance
hall of the Main Branch of the Vancouver Public Library (1953-
57), designed by Semmens Simpson, architects, featured a lively
abstract mosaic by artists Lionel and Patricia Thomas."
In a 1954 issue of Canadian Art entitled "1923-1953 Compared,"
which celebrated the creation of the National Gallery's
new Design Centre in Ottawa, one of B.C. Binning's paintings
was featured as the point of departure for "tasteful" interior design
(Fig. 30). A photograph of a 1923 interior showed a livingdining
area with overstuffed chairs, a proliferation of different
textures, colours and patterns, and an elaborate landscape painting.
The 1953 interior, by contrast, featured "Reflective Ship," a
1950 abstract painting by Binning; the entire space was designed
"to reflect the wit and style of the Binnings." The furniture was
lightweight and simple in design, the colours and patterns were
carefully selected, and homespun curtains suggested a large
window. 72
Considering the impact of the work of B.C. Binning on art
and architecture, one biographer noted in 1986 that he was as
highly conscious of his failure as he was of his success:
He often wished that he had given more of his time to his painting
- throughout his active life he only had one year, 1948, given over
fully to his own career as an artist. He also rea li zed that, although
he had accomplished a great deal, the city had lost many opportunities
for grea t modern architecture and planning. Bitming's own
modernism, the International Style inflected in Japanese aesthetics,
had an intluence on domestic suburban architecture for several
decades. But in the 1980s there has been a marked return to mock­
Tudor, mock-colonial tract houses that Binning's generation saw as
morally degenerated and aesthetically illiterate. The emptiness of
the age prefers parody.73
Indeed, just over a decade later, the renewed interest in
Canada's built heritage of the Modern era in general/' and in the
Binning residence in particular, suggests another cycle is upon
us. In 1987-88, the District of West Vancouver included the Binning
residence in its heritage inventory, which aims not only to
identify significant buildings of th~ past but also to signal architecture
of exemplary quality to serve as a model for present-day
design and constructon." Most recently, the work of B.C. Binning,
including his home, is being featured in the exhibition "The
New Spirit: Modem Architecture in Vancouver, 1938-1963,"
guest-curated by Rhodri Windsor Liscombe and organized by
the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and in the seminal book of
the same title.'" In conjunction with this exhibition, which will be
hosted at the Vancouver Art Gallery between November 1997
and January 1998, students at UBC's School of Architecture are
preparing a model and presentation of the Binning residence,
among other Vancouver area houses of the Modern era. 77
Inte grity
One of the conditions of the proposed criteria for evaluating the
potential national significance of a building, ensemble, or site of
the Modern era is that "it is in a condition that respects the integrity
of its original design, materials, workmanship, function
and/ or setting, insofar as each of these was an important part of
its overall intentions and its present-day character." It should be
clear from the preceding pages that the Binning residence is in a
remarkable state of integrity. Except for a few changes that were
intended from the beginning- such as the evolving relationship
between the architecture of the house and its artwork, and the
growth of the vegetation around the site over time- the modifications
that were necessary in order to meet changing functional
requirements or to repair damaged or deteriorated
materials" have been carefully carried out without compromising
the original design intentions. This high level of integrity,
which can be attributed to the high quality of the original design
and construction and continuous and respectful care over the
years, is unusual for a private residence, which by its nature is
subject to change, and particularly rare for a house of the
61

JSSAC I JStAC 27 . n ~ 3. 4

SUSAN D. BRONSON t:r.ll:l:l:tJ3U:I:cl:tJ;II
Heritage Buildings 1987," pp. 292
(copy available at Planning Department,
District of West Vancouver).
12. "100 Years of B.C. Living,"
Western Homes and Living, january
1958, pp. 41-43.
13. VAG, videotaped interview,
p. 3.
14. According to B.C. Binning, the
house cost $5,000 (VAG, videotaped
interview, p. 3). This corresponds
approximately with the information
in the West Vancouver Heritage
inventory files (1987), where it
is reported that in 1942 the land was
assessed at $600 and improvements
were assessed at $4,500 (Foundation
Group Designs, "B.C. Binning
House", p. 292). This ammmt was
considered very reasonable at the
time: in july 1940, Wm. H. Holcombe,
Chairman of the Committee
on Housing, reported that "the production
of plans for houses that can
be built for $3,500.00 to $4,500.00"
under the National Housing Act
represented a "bright side" of the
housing crisis (Wm. H. Holcombe,
"A Report of the Committee on
Housing," Journal of the Royal Architectural
Institute of C111zada URAIC] ,
Vol. 17, No. 7 Duly 1940], p. 119).
B.C. Binning reported in 1950 that
the house would cost $10,000 in
1950 ("The B.C. Binning House,"
Western Homes and Living, October­
November 1950, p. 16), and noted
in 1973 that he could have never
afforded it later (A lsop, "The Artistic
Credo", pp. 19-20).
15. Rhodri Windsor Liscombe,
The New Spirit: Modem Architecture
in Vancou ver, 1938-1963 (Montreal
and Vancouver: Canadian Centre
for ArchitectlUe/ Douglas & Mdntyre,
1997), p. 40.
16. See Jill Wade, "Wartime Housing
Limited, 1941-1947: Canadian
Housing Policy at the Crossroads,"
Urban History Review/Revue d'histoire
urbai11e, Vol. 15, No. 1 Oune
1986), pp. 41-59; Jill Wade, Hou;;es
for All: The Struggle for Social Hou s­
ing in Vancouver, 1919-1950 (Vancouver:
UBC Press, 1994), chapters
2-5. The wartime housing situation
is also discussed in Bronson,
"Framework for Analysis Study:
Residential Buildings, Ensembles,
and Sites of the Modern Era."
17. This topic is dealt w ith in
detail in Bronson, "Framework for
Analysis Study: Residential Bui ldings,
Ensembles, and Sites of the
Modern Era ." In Quebec, for example,
the 1930s work of architect and
interior designer Marcel Pari.zeau
and others was inspired by the
emerging principles of Modernism.
18. Wartime housing is discussed
in some detail in Bronson, "Framework
for Analysis Study: Residential
Buildings, Ensembles, and Sites
of the Modern Era." See also Burwell
R. Coon, "Wartime Housing,"
fRA IC, Vol. 19, No. 1 Oanuary 1942),
pp. 3-8; Wade, "Wartime Housing
Limited"; Wade, Houses for All.
19. Wade, Hou ses for All, p. 122.
20. Windsor Liscombe, The New
Spirit, p. 22.
21. fbid., pp. 40-41; Foundation
Group Designs, West Vancouver
Heritage Inventory, p. 28.
22. Windsor Liscombe, The New
Spirit, p. 40.
23. Ibid., p. 199; Foundation
Group Designs, West Van couuer
Heritage Inventory, p. 23. The dates
of the renovation vary slightly in
these two references; those used in
this paper are from the latter source.
Unfortunately, the extent of the renovation,
and thus the original
design, is not clear.
24. Windsor Liscombe, The New
Spirit, p. 40.
25. Robert A.D. Berwick (Shelbourne,
Ontario, 1909 - West Vancouver,
1974) obtained his B.Arch.
at the University of Toronto in 1938.
He worked for Sharp and Thompson
from 1936 to 1941 and then
served in the Canadian Armed
Forces from 1942 until 1945. He
became an associate in the firm
Sharp & Thompson, Berwick, .Pratt
in 1944, and a partner in 1946; the
firm changed its name to Thompson
Berwick Pratt and Partners in
1946 and he remained a parb1er
until 1968. He joined the Architectural
Institute of British Columbia
[A.IBC] in 1946 and became a Fellow
of the RA.IC in 1957. Tbid., p.
202.
26. Charles E. Pratt (Boston, 1911-
Vancouver, 1996) moved to Canada
in 1921 and obtained his B. Arch.
from the University of Toronto in
1939. After working for Sharp and
Thompson in 1938, he served in the
Canadian Armed Forces throughout
the Second World War,
although he found time in 1941 to
consult on the construction of the
B.C. Binning residence. He was a
partner in the firm Sharp & Thompson,
Berwick, Pratt (1945-56), then
of Thompson Berwick .Pratt and
Partners (1956-76). He became a
member of the AlBC in 1940 and
served as its president in 1961-62.
He became a Fellow of the RAIC in
1957. Ibid., p. 204.
27. Drawings of both schemes are
in the B.C. Binning Fonds, Collection
Centre Canadien d' Architecture/
Canadian Centre for Architecture,
Montreal.
28. Foundation Group Designs,
District of West Vancouver Heritage
lnventon;, 1987, p. 292.
29. Meeting with jessie Biruling, 6
September 1997.
30. Binning was not alone in his
conviction that West Coast architecture
should reflect its environment.
In 1946, he and Fred Amess succeeded
in arranging a visit to Vancouver
by Richard Neutra, the
renowned Viennese architect and
pioneer of the Modem Movement
who was residing in California at
the time. In his address, Neutra
focussed on "westcoast" possibilities,
and discussed the "mystery
and realities of the site" and how
his houses dissolved into and/ or
contrasted w ith the landscape
through the use of pristine fo rms,
extended planes, extended water,
and all the features associated with
the International Style, yet reinterpreted
to respond to the site, materials,
and climate of the west coast.
Douglas Shadbolt, "Postwar Architecture
in Vancouver," in Vancouver
Art mzd Artists, 1938-1983 (Vancouver:
Vancouver Art Gallery, 1983), p.
110.
31. Windsor Liscombe, The Neu1
Spirit, p. 112.
32. Meeting with Jessie Binning, 6
September 1997; Windsor Liscombe,
The New Spirit, p. 40.
33. Wa tson, "B.C. Binning: Modernism
in a Classical Calm," p. 25.
34. Ibid., p. 23-27.
35. Sources of views of the Binning
residence at different periods
in its history include Alsop, "The
Artistic Credo", p. 20; "The B.C.
Binning House," pp. 15-18 (1950);
McDonald, "B.C. Binning" (1961);
and photographs from slides
belonging to Jessie Binning (c.
1948), documentation on file, B.C.
Binning Fonds, Collection Centre
Canadien d' Architecture/Canadian
Centre for Architecture, Montreal.
36. Meeting with jessie Binning, 6
September 1997.
37. Watson, "B.C. Binning: Modemism
in a Classical Ca lm," p. 24.
38. fbid.
39. A number of references on the
Biruung residence refer to it as the
first flat-roofed house in the Vancouver
area, which is nusleading. It
is likely, however, that it was the
first flat-roofed house in the region
to receive a federally financed mortgage.
When asked about this in
1973, B.C. Biruling confirmed that
he had "been told that it startled the
mortgage companies into a whole
new field of architectural acceptance-
but he's not sure about that.
He threw so many curves at them
that he thinks in the end they may
just have thrown up their hands
and conceded him the ball game"
(Alsop, "The Artistic Credo," p. 19).
63

JSSAC I JSEAC 27 . n ~ 3. 4

THE JOURNAL OF THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF ARCHITECTURE IN CANADA
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Journal of the Society for the Study of
Journal de la Societe pour /'etude de/'
in I au
VOLUME I TOME 27, NUMER O S I N UM B ERS 3, 4 (2002)
L'eperon sur Ia pointe a Calliere
hommage a un edifice disparu
ou contextualite reinventee ?
Alena Prochazka
1
of the Frontenac County Courthouse
within the Classical Tradition
Un plan Martellange pour
I'Hopital General de Quebec en 1700 ?
Nicole Denis L:.?J.'~~~Z:ti.lli.!!!lll
1'1: Proteger le patrimoine montrealais :
textes intemationaux et gestion municipale
-....;..-a....::.:.--Yona ]ebrak
~--~.
Re-Building Memories:
On the Reconstruction of a
"Traditional" Longhouse
Daniel Millette
Binning Residence,
VVestVancouver ~~~~~~~~
Susan D. Bronson Er.~o~~~:::;:;.,~;i:;;;i!=:!l)
La Societe pour !'etude de !'architecture au Canada
Th e Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada
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