Description of Historic Place

The Girard House sits in the midst of rolling farmlands and enjoys a magnificent view of the St. Lawrence River. It is a two-and-a-half-storey wood building with a medium-pitched roof with bell-cast eaves, regularly arranged dormers, and a brick chimney. A large wooden gallery, accessed by a central staircase, spans the five-bay front façade and provides access to its elevated main level. A central doorway with sidelights and a transom is flanked by evenly spaced, multi-paned windows. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Girard House is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Girard House is associated with the settlement of the lower St. Lawrence region in Québec. According to local history, the house was built by a prosperous local businessman for the dowry of his daughter. The house was used as a farm residence for over a century. In 1970, it was sold to the Canadian government and has been recently occupied as a seasonal residence and interpretation centre by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Societé de Conservation de la Baie de L’Isle-Verte.

Architectural Value
The Girard House is a fine example of a large ‘maison québécoise’ of the St. Lawrence Valley. Its heritage value resides in the characteristics of its composition, which link it to the St. Lawrence Valley, Québec house type. Its very good functional design contains features that refer to its long use as a farm residence. Built using log construction, the house exhibits all of the traditional materials of this building type on a grand scale. The fine level of the craftsmanship and materials is evident both on the interior and the exterior.

Environmental Value
The Girard House reinforces the farm character of its rural setting in the St. Lawrence Valley and is an important local landmark.

Sources: Jocelyn Cossette, L’Isle Verte, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 86-086; Maison Girard, L’Isle-Verte, Québec, Heritage Character Statement, 86-086.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Girard House should be respected.

Its good aesthetic and very good functional design, and very good craftsmanship and materials, as for example: the two-and-a-half-storey massing with a gable roof with bell-cast eaves; the balance and symmetry of its overall design and proportions; the log construction; the five-bay façade, elevated main floor, large front gallery and summer kitchen; the central doorway with sidelights and transom; the regularly arranged and evenly-spaced multi-paned windows; the interior features that refer to its long use as a farm residence, such as the plank floors and moulded plaster ceiling.

The manner in which the Girard House reinforces the farm character of its rural setting and is an important local landmark, as evidenced by: its overall massing, design and materials, which harmonize with its surrounding farm lands adjacent to the river; its role as an interpretation centre which makes it well known in the area; its visibility due to its prominent location adjacent to the river and its recognition within the community as a historic landmark.

Heritage Character Statement

Disclaimer - The heritage character statement was developed by FHBRO to explain the reasons for the designation of a federal heritage building and what it is about the building that makes it significant (the heritage character). It is a key reference document for anyone involved in planning interventions to federal heritage buildings and is used by FHBRO in their review of interventions.

The Maison Girard is a large scale Québec house located in the rural community of L'Isle-Verte. Local tradition states it was built by prosperous local businessman Louis Bertrand for the dowry of his daughter, placing the date of its construction in the mid 1830s. It was used for over a century as a farm residence, and was extended by the addition of a summer kitchen at about the turn of the century. In 1979 it was severed from its original farm land and sold to the Canadian government. The custodial department is Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service. During the past decade it has been occupied as a seasonal residence and interpretation center by the Canadian Wildlife Service and the Societé de conservation de L'Isle-Vert. See FHBRO Building Report 86-86.

Reason for Designation

The Maison Girard was designated Recognized primarily because it is a fine example of a large "maison québécoise" of the St. Lawrence Valley.

It served as a farm residence from the time of its construction in the mid 1830s until 1960, and its location in the midst of rolling farm lands together with its magnificent view of the St. Lawrence River provide it a beautiful and compatible setting. The building is an important local landmark.

Character Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Maison Girard resides in the characteristics of its composition which link it to the St. Lawrence Valley Québec house type. A two and a half storey structure of pièce sur pièce construction, it exhibits all of the traditional materials and features of this building type on a grand scale. These features are the balance and symmetry of its overall design and proportions, its elevated main floor and balanced five bay façade, medium bell-cast pitched roof, large front gallery, brick chimney and summer kitchen. Special care should be taken to safeguard these features by maintaining their safety, clarity and integrity.

The fine level of the craftsmanship and materials evident both on the interior and the exterior of the Maison Girard and its annex should be upheld in future work. The building also contains many interior features that refer to its long use as a farm residence, among them the plank floors and moulded plaster ceiling. These should be identified and retained.

Reinstatement of traditional patterns of movement in the house and on the site would considerably enhance the building's association with its agricultural heritage. For example, returning the staircase in the main building to its original location would recapture the traditional design of the building.

The front yard of this building is currently being used as an outdoor interpretation center for artifacts. A change in the use of this area to a function more closely related to its traditional farm use is encouraged. Such an approach would considerably enhance the property.

Since the early history of the building is associated with the river, and the site of the house was clearly selected for its magnificent view, the introduction of any future obstruction between the site and the river should be discouraged.

In general, the major heritage defining characteristics of the Maison Girard can be protected by regular maintenance and repair, year round heating, and the introduction of safeguards to prevent fire damage and vandalism to its fabric.