The Canadian Heritage of Quebec is proud to mark the 375th anniversary of Montreal and the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation by inviting amateurs of history and heritage for a tour of one of its magnificent properties: the Hurtubise House, the oldest building in the neighbourhood of Westmount. Built in 1739 and located at 563 chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine, this old farmhouse was the home of a French American large family, namely the Hurtubise, for many generations.
Come and join us for a cup of tea and a partially guided tour where you will discover the classical architecture and original interior of the Hurtubise House, as well as the new exhibitions on Montreal and the Canadian Confederation. Guests will also discover the new library and heirloom vegetables gardens.
The Open House at the Hurtubise House will take place on Wednesday July 9th and the following Tuesdays: 15, 22 and 29 August. The visit will begin at 1:30 p.m. (sharp) to end at 3:30 p.m. Access to the partially guided tour of the house and the gardens is comprised in the entrance fees of $10 and includes tea, drinks and a snack. As the number of seats is limited (15 guests per visit), please make your reservation now by email at coord@hcq-chq.org.
Revenues collected from these activities will be used mainly to continue the Heritage’s mission which is the conservation of cultural and natural heritage in Quebec.
This year, the Hurtubise House celebrates the 60th anniversary of its acquisition and conservation by The Canadian Heritage of Quebec. In order to mark this anniversary, there was an indoor exhibition on the six generations of the Hurtubise family who used to live in this ancestral house.
The opening of this exhibition and the launching of the summer season took place on Thursday, June 16th from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m at the Hurtubise House.
Through this exhibition, The Canadian Heritage of Quebec wanted to enhance one of the oldest houses in Westmountand reminisce on the agricultural transition to the urbanization of this municipality.
Furthermore, the summer season launch of The Canadian Heritage of Quebec’s properties was held during this cocktail and a presentation was given on the rentals of some of the heritage properties. Please click the following link on our website Summer-2016 to get more information on these houses.
The inauguration of the commemorative vegetable and flower gardens of the Hurtubise House took place on May 17th, 2016. The purpose of this project is to mark the 60th anniversary of the acquisition and conservation of the Hurtubise House by The Canadian Heritage of Quebec. The idea of a commemorative garden comes from Mardjane Amin, heritage consultant, after she discovered the agricultural history of the site of the Hurtubise House. From there started the “agricultural” project in order to revitalize the landscape of the Hurtubise House. Heirloom and heritage seeds were sowed so that the vegetable and flower gardens reflect the agricultural past of the Hurtubise farm.
The realization of the “agricultural” project was made possible thanks to the generous collaboration of the Jardins de l’écoumène who donated heritage seeds, as well as the Cour à bois Villeneuve who offered rebates on wood and hardware. Not to mention the involvement of several students from McGill University and Université de Montréal and some of these students now form part of the young volunteers committee of The Canadian Heritage of Quebec.
Les Jardins de l’écoumène
Cour à bois Villeneuve
As you will note on the pictures, the landscaping of the gardens harmonizes with the incomparable heritage value of the Hurtubise House. Please come and visit the magnificent gardens of the Hurtubise House and see the remarkable transformation. For a visit of the house, please make an appointment by sending an email to coord@hcq-chq.org. If you want to become a volunteer for the maintenance of the gardens or for any comments, kindly use the same email address.
Here is an article from The Suburban, in the edition of may 25, 2016, on the Hurtubise House and its commemorative gardens. Read the article
The Canadian Heritage of Quebec (CHQ) finances its activities through the summer rental of its heritage houses. The rental revenues are used for the maintenance of CHQ’s properties.
Now is the time to start making your reservation for 2016. Please note that Wi-Fi is available at all our rental properties. Summer-2016
During the summer of 2013 and 2014, two volunteers of the Corporation of Domaine Pointe-de-Saint-Vallier worked hard to restore these splendid gardens.
Terry and Terry Sulymko – a couple from Toronto – spent several weeks each summer to work on the gardens of Domaine Pointe-de-Saint-Vallier. Thanks to them, old stone arrangements have been unearthed. In the summer of 2015, they continue their great work and the small pond at the manor will soon be refreshed.
The transformation is stunning as demonstrated by the photos below. For more information and to view photo gallery, click here 2013 and here for the pictures 2014
It is amazing to see what these gardens have become. This is a very nice place to enjoy the flowers and their colours during summer time. It is really worth a visit! (http://www.pointedesaintvallier.com/)
Malgré le temps gris du lundi 22 mai, une vingtaine de personnes sont venus découvrir les nombreuses facettes de la plus vieille maison de Westmount, la Maison Hurtubise. Toujours présente depuis 278 ans, la Maison Hurtubise expose divers éléments architecturaux qui montrent l’évolution de la maison de la ferme des Hurtubise depuis sa construction en 1739 jusqu’à aujourd’hui.
Merci au Réseau du patrimoine anglophone du Québec (QAHN) et à la Fédération Histoire Québec (FHQ), d’avoir proposé la visite de la maison dans le cadre de l’excursion Reflections of the English-Speaking Heritage of Montreal lors de leur congrès du 20 au 22 mai dernier. Merci aussi à The Westmount Historical Association pour avoir organisé cette visite.
Depuis plus de six décennies, l’héritage canadien du Québec en assure la conservation.
Hurtubise House June 2011 – Before the restoration – click to enlarge Phase II of the restoration project began in August 2011 and was completed in late summer 2012. Planning work required preliminary comprehensive studies to effectively coordinate the entire project. Based on these studies conducted by CHQ in collaboration with the Centre de conservation du Québec and Mr. François Varin, architect, it was decided to preserve the finishes of the entire ground floor and to establish specific conservation guidelines which include respecting the physical integrity of the house and applying minimal and reversible intervention. This project, funded mostly by CHQ, received financial support from the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications du Québec (MCC) and the City of Montreal.
Hurtubise House June 2012 – After the restoration – click to enlarge CHQ and architects DMA coordinated the project which required hiring several professionals specializing in restoration: masons, curators and archaeologists. CHQ also benefited from the expertise of an architect of the MCC, as well as a structural engineer, a mechanical engineer and two conservation experts. Throughout the work, special attention was paid to the protection of interior finishes and building security.
Outside the house, the work consisted of repairing cracks in the west stone wall as well as restoring the front galleries, its support structures and stairs. Archaeological excavations were also necessary which led to the discovery of an old well.
The Kitchen – click to enlarge On the ground floor, interior finishes (plaster and woodwork) of the walls, floors and ceilings have been restored. The restoration work was done carefully to preserve the traces of time. The curator used only a dry sponge for cleaning. Cracks on the walls were also filled and remain visible. Previously, tapestry dating from around 1900 had been removed, revealing the location of an old armoire (cupboard) inserted in the wall.
In the kitchen, we proceeded to clean the different layers of flooring to revitalize the floor. We also cut much of the damaged parts which allowed us to discover a very old carpet, another remnant of the past. Plexiglas and a carpet now protect parts of these coatings for the benefit of visitors.
The basement
The attic
To preserve and capture the spirit of the house, modern elements were removed from the ground floor. The floor structure has been solidified through the basement and the former floor openings (registers) are now again used for the heating and ventilation system. In the basement, the humidity was reduced by covering the ground with plastic sheeting and stone dust. A new heating system (thermo pump) with ducts has also been installed.
On the second floor, the kitchen and bathroom have been upgraded. This work is reversible so as to preserve the integrity of the house. The electrical system has also been upgraded and a new lighting system, installed throughout the house, reveals the vestiges and treasures of this magnificent property built in 1739.
On Sunday October 14th, The Canadian Heritage of Quebec hosted at the Hurtubise House in Westmount a heritage activity organized by the Westmount Historical Society (WHA) in collaboration with the City of Westmount. This activity was part of Montreal Architectural Heritage Campaign 2012, called Les Belles Montréalaises and organized in collaboration with the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications (MCC), Ville de Montréal and Heritage Montreal. This campaign lasted for two weeks, from September 28th to October 14th (www.operationpatrimoime.com).
The purpose of this activity was to do a walking tour on the old Chemin de la Côte-Saint-Antoine to show to the participants, from the street, very interesting heritage houses located on this old road. The Hurtubise House has been used as a welcome place and CHQ’s General Manager, Jacques Archambault, welcomed each group of people and took this opportunity to present CHQ’s history, founders, missions and involvement in Quebec. CHQ also welcomed guides inside and offered them tea, sandwiches and cookies in collaboration with the Westmount Historical Society.
Approximately 65 people did the walking tours in spite of the rain. The volunteers of WHA have prepared all the documents for the walking tour and trained their volunteers to relay properly this information to visitors. All the participants were very happy with the newly restored Hurtubise House which now serves as a key place for the Westmount’s heritage sector. Since the end of the restoration project, the house looks better and CHQ has received a lot of congratulations from Westmounters.
The restoration of the Domaine Pointe-de-Saint-Vallier began in 2011 and in the fall of 2012. This project involved the restoration of the exterior of the building and the structure supporting the ground floor. The restoration concept, developed by architect François Varin, was based on historical research on the Manor and its site.
This project was completely funded by CHQ and was managed and carried out in collaboration with Mr. Varin and the support of volunteers of the Corporation du Domaine Pointe-de-Saint-Vallier (http://www.pointedesaintvallier.com/).
Outside, two major interventions were carried out:
1. The roof was restored with a combination composed mainly of “tôle à la canadienne” and ” tôle à baguettes” for flatter parts including the roof of the gallery. Thus, the house will be better protected against strong winds from the river and from water infiltration. The roofs of several other houses located in the area were also built in the past according to this mixed model.
2. The badly damaged front porch floor, made of cement, was completely rebuilt in wood and decorated according to its original state in 1950. Having gone through various changes over the decades, this model seemed the most appropriate. Finally, the exterior of the Manor has been repainted, and the plaster of the three chimneys redone.
The work done inside the Manor included consolidation of the ground floor structure from the basement. Many original columns supporting the floor were made of badly stacked concrete blocks that could have compromised its stability. Repairs included strengthening the floor structure beneath the entire Manor with cement bases and solid wood columns, requiring a tremendous amount of time and energy.
The ground floor kitchen and bathroom were improved and retrofitted for the benefit of visitors without affecting their integrity. The electrical system and plumbing have also been improved. Finally, this project has led to several interesting new discoveries. See our four pictures below.
Mr. Dinu Bumbaru who is a member of the Board of Directors of The Canadian Heritage of Quebec has been awarded the 2012 Prix Gérard-Morisset by the Government of Québec. Our president, John Molson, joins you in congratulating Mr. Bumbaru for this well deserved recognition. For more information, please go to : www.heritagemontreal.org.
