The genre now seems to be making a fortune on television: renovation. This season, the Télé-Québec channel is offering, with actor André Robitaille at the helm, a series of ten programs devoted to the preservation and restoration of heritage buildings. In addition, additional documents are available on the Télé-Québec website.
For years, it has been mainly shows devoted to cooking that have been popular. This has not stopped the population from eating too much fat, too sweet, too salty. Is a similar paradox likely to rear its head now that there is talk of renovation everywhere?
In the first episode of Well build, André Robitaille states on camera that “several ancestral buildings, whose use is becoming obsolete, can fall into oblivion or be abandoned”. But sometimes, he adds, “we meet crazy people who are ready to take the initiative to save these places and give another meaning to these buildings.”
The “beautiful fools”
Should we only hope for “beautiful fools” and hammer home the idea, as this series somehow does, that only their combined will can save the heritage of a country? “It seems so, huh! » answers André Robitaille in an interview, while emphasizing that the working conditions of several craftsmen, encountered during the filming, appeared to him to be sketchy. “Geneviève Gamache for example, the stained glass artist featured in the series, is installed in her basement, without much lighting! »
The magic of television takes us into an old school in Sherbrooke. It was restored by a couple of close friends of André Robitaille. “We’re making a clean slate and starting again,” says the owner to explain her project of reconverting this old school which has sealed, through the construction site, a new romantic relationship. The original wooden floors were torn out. Which revealed scraps of paper left by schoolchildren of yesteryear. The metal roof, on the other hand, has remained intact since 1883, the couple says.
The series also transports us to an old chapel in the Laurentians, Saint-John The Divine, recovered by a couple who eventually got married there. The church looks like an enchanted house. The bell tower, converted into a bathroom, is in any case magical. This “place has a hold” on its occupants, says the owner, showing us her collection of little angels.
In Sainte-Foy, a vast post-war church, designed by architect Jean-Marie Roy, has been transformed for the benefit of the community. It now houses the Monique-Corriveau library. What to do with the approximately 2,000 churches in Quebec awaiting conversion? Should we create, by converting them, a vast network of libraries like this? “If we leave churches unused, we will lose them,” says Martin Dubois, specialist in the work of Jean-Marie Roy.
André Robitaille considers the question of the future of Quebec churches to be major. ” They are beautiful. These are always the best located buildings. But what are we going to do with it? » He claims to have been made aware of this issue by his brother, the person responsible for the reconversion of the Augustines monastery in Quebec. “Interviewing my brother in the series was a special experience for me! »
In Saint-Nicolas, here are two families who live together in an imposing residence in New France. One of the owners affirms that we are all, as Quebecers, responsible for such treasures. In fact, these people are the only ones working to preserve these buildings, notes André Robitaille. “Every day, that’s their project: the house. »
Little-known artisans
This series also celebrates artisans. In Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, here is a company that restores heavy cast iron radiators to give them a second life. You also meet Michel Martel, a specialist in the restoration of old houses. And here is a tinsmith and roofer, Jean-François Éthier. The latter creates “Canadian-style” tin roofs. How long will such a roof last? “A hundred years, easy. » In comparison, how many tons of asphalt shingles from today’s homes are thrown into landfills each year?
In Montérégie, Lester Toupin, a traditional mason at the time of retirement, affirms that it is not him who must continue, “but the profession”. Certainly, passion and interest for built heritage are transmitted and taught through enthusiasts, “beautiful fools”, as the host says. But how does the Quebec system promote collective management of heritage? ” That’s a very good question ! » said André Robitaille. “We will have to ask the Ministry of Culture and the government! »
The Minister of Culture, Mathieu Lacombe, attended the launch of Well build. “The government and the ministry support the series,” says André Robitaille.
A few years ago, André Robitaille used to play tennis with François Legault, the MP for L’Assomption who became prime minister. Did they occasionally discuss, between two parties, the future of Quebec heritage? ” No ! Never. We just wanted to improve our backhands! And we didn’t succeed,” says André Robitaille, laughing.