Maison Papineau description and photos - Canada: Montreal (Topic)

Maison Papineau description and photos - Canada: Montreal. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photographs and a map showing the nearest significant objects. The title in English is Maison Papineau.

Photo & Description

Papineau's House (also known as John Campbell's House) is an old mansard mansion in the heart of Old Montreal. The house is located at 440 Bonsecourt Street, south of Notre Dame Street and is one of the most famous architectural and historical landmarks of the city of Montreal.

In 1779, Commissioner for Indian Affairs in Montreal, John Campbell acquired the Papineau family owned a plot of land on Bonsecourt Street and in 1785 built a stone mansion on the site of an old wooden house. In 1809, the widow of John Campbell sold the house to the son of the previous owner Joseph Papineau, and in 1914 it became the property of his son, the famous Canadian politician Louis-Joseph Papineau, after whom, in fact, the house later got its name.

In 1831-1832 the house was rebuilt and extensively expanded. As a result of the lowering of the street level, the basement was almost completely raised above the ground. The building was completed to the left, close to the next house, leaving only an arched passage on this side, leading to the backyard. The passage was made wide enough so that, if necessary, a carriage could enter the courtyard. The central entrance was moved to the right. During the same period, in order to hide the sharp contrast between the old and the new structure, the neoclassical facade of the building was completely clad in imitation stone wood. The interior of the house has also undergone significant changes.

Louis-Joseph Papineau lived in the house on Bonsecourt Street until his exile in 1837. Returning to Canada in the second half of the 40s, Papineau lived for several more years in his Montreal home, after which he moved to his new estate in Montebello (Quebec).

For more than a hundred years, Papineau's House housed various hotels, as well as a restaurant, laundry and hairdressing salon. To please the tenants in 1875-1885, the architecture of the house underwent changes again, this time, turning into an ordinary four-story building with a flat roof. In 1960, the house was acquired by journalist Eric McLean. It was he who conducted a thorough research of old drawings, photographs of the interior and returned the house to its appearance during the times of Louis-Joseph Papineau.

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Topic: Maison Papineau description and photos - Canada: Montreal.