The municipality of Kirkland has given its residents 10 days to react to a request to demolish the former home and studio of renowned sculptor and painter Charles Daudelin, who died in 2001. Erected from 1951, according to the drawings of bold architects for Quebec at the time, this modern residence was sold to a developer in 2020 by the Daudelin family, after being put up for sale for just over $2.6 million. The building is now the subject of a request for demolition. A permit to this effect could be granted as early as October 20.
Born in 1920 in Granby, Charles Daudelin is one of the most acclaimed Quebec artists of the XXe century. First a student of Paul-Émile Borduas at the École du Meubles in Montreal, Daudelin left to continue his studies in Paris. On his return to Montreal in 1948, the year his Global denial, housing prices and their scarcity prompted him to turn to the Pointe-Claire region. He built his house in the middle of a field that he transformed into a forest with the help of his brother Georges, attached to the Montreal Botanical Garden and considered the first landscape architect in Quebec.
The architectural firm Rother, Bland, Trudeau was commissioned by Charles Daudelin to draw up the plans for this exceptional residence. The design will be entrusted to Charles Elliot Trudeau, brother of Pierre Elliot, future Prime Minister. The archives of this important firm are deposited at the Canadian Center for Architecture.
In 1959, the house underwent further expansion. This time, it is the architect Jean-Louis Lalonde who is put to good use. Lalonde worked in Paris for Le Corbusier, probably for the construction of the United Nations headquarters. In 1968, architect Gordon Edwards, who had designed the Mirabel air terminal, remodeled part of the interior. He will be invited on several occasions to intervene on architectural projects cherished by Daudelin.
No public protection
The Cultural Heritage Act, revised by the Quebec Minister of Culture and Communications (MCC), does not immediately provide for any protection measures for buildings constructed after 1940. Several heritage specialists have deplored this. Thus, despite its exceptional character, the Daudelin house therefore escapes a first level of influence of the law, regrets Docomomo Quebec. This organization, dedicated to the enhancement and protection of modern heritage, carried out a heritage study on the house in 2015, which noted the very high value of the place. “It’s an artist’s house. A rare artist. And it’s not just any house. It was designed by major architects. »
Contacted by The duty, Francine Vanlaethem, of Docomomo Quebec, does not hide her deep dissatisfaction with the lack of protection granted to this residence. “The public authorities knew that a very great artist had lived there! It’s known. How did they manage to do nothing all these years? Why does the surveillance of common goods always fall, here, to small organizations with limited means and which cannot replace either the State or the municipalities? »
Kirkland has issued a public notice of intent to demolish this historic building located on Chemin Sainte-Marie. It is its planning committee, made up of seven residents and two elected municipal officials, who must seal the fate of this building of national interest.
Kirkland Communications Department confirms to To have to that “the new owners are requesting authorization for demolition”. The municipality specifies that “in accordance with the by-law governing the demolition […], professional studies on the condition of the building and its heritage value were required”. She adds that “the authorization is subject to a rigorous process”. However, she did not explain to the To have to why she never cited the building to ensure its protection and restoration. A citation, according to the MCC framework, would have notably enabled him to obtain subsidies for the restoration.
A major work
Several public works by Charles Daudelin are part of the Quebec landscape. In Montreal, Daudelin’s mark can be found at the Notre-Dame de Montreal basilica, at the courthouse, as well as at Square Viger, which is still being rehabilitated. Daudelin produced works for the Langelier and Mont-Royal metro stations. In Quebec, Burst II, a monumental sculpture, can be seen by those who frequent the Gare du Palais. In the immediate vicinity of the National Museum of Fine Arts is The ridera bronze from 1963. In Paris, a sculpture-fountain by Daudelin, entitled Ice jam, constitutes the heart of a place dedicated to Quebec and inaugurated by René Lévesque and Jacques Chirac. It is a work of Daudelin which is in front of the provincial parliament of Prince Edward Island. The artist has also taught, both at the École des beaux-arts de Montréal and at the Université du Québec.
Rémy Daudelin, son of the artist, is saddened by the sad fate of his father’s house-studio. “Whoever bought this house cannot ignore its importance. I brought in someone from the Ministry of Culture about fifteen years ago. Right away, I was told that the house had to be protected. My mother, at the time, did not respond. The place has an architectural interest, but it was also the heart of my father’s life as an artist. He developed the house with my mother, as an extension of his work. My father has always been close to architecture. And near the architects. The volumetry of this house never ceases to surprise those who have visited it.
A source close to the City mentions that, in recent years, the building had been neglected by the family. The municipality would question the appropriateness of safeguarding what the family unit had for its part let go into the hands of a real estate developer.
A team from Docomomo Québec visited the house-studio a few times, while the artist’s widow was still living. The duty obtained a copy of the expert report produced. “Everything was as it was, as when Charles Daudelin had left her,” Docomomo told the To have to. A smock he had been wearing still hung in the studio, at the end of the garden. The organization’s study attested to the high value of the premises. It was then believed that the Daudelin family and the City of Kirkland would get involved together, instinctively understanding the importance of ensuring the “conservation of the place of creation of one of the great modern artists of Quebec”.