The Gariépy-Forget house, a French residence from the end of the 17th centurye century, will ultimately be protected by Laval.
According to the municipality, the “development of a first citation by-law, under the Cultural Heritage Act, in order to confer the status of cited heritage property on the Forget house” is in progress.
Under the new law on heritage, the municipality readjusts the shooting in terms of protection of its built heritage.
After having authorized, in an official decree, the destruction of an old building adjacent to the pretext that this constitutes a “deterioration of the quality of life of the neighborhood”, Laval indicates in a press release that it now intends to ensure the protection of the main building. .
The database of the municipality already underlined the importance of protecting this place, even if the measures in this direction had been delayed for years. “This house is one of the first erected on Laval territory with the Therrien house (1722). You have to protect it. It is also the birthplace of Bishop Paul-Ernest Forget who was bishop of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu and author of a Canadian history manual. Different inventories date the construction of this house to 1694, “but with some doubt. »
Recent dating work, according to the process of dendrochronology, rather indicates that the house dates from 1735.
Laval, the third largest city in Quebec, had initially shown little interest in preserving this house from the French Regime located on the boulevard des Mille-Îles. The house and the premises, despite their importance, have never been protected until now, either by the municipality or by the State. They were left in a sorry state, although the importance of the place has long been known.
The Fédération Histoire Québec and the Society for the History and Genealogy of Île Jésus pleaded publicly for the development of the site to be ensured. No plan had been put forward by the City to protect and restore this rare house dating from the French Regime, lamented defenders of Quebec heritage.