The sad agony of the Bignell house is coming to an end: the Quebec City Planning and Conservation Commission (CUCQ) has decided to alleviate the suffering of this residence erected between 1795 and 1817 by authorizing its demolition. The restoration of the venerable residence, exposed to the elements for almost 35 years, proved too delicate and costly.
Abandoned for decades, the house was a tarnished glory in the landscape of Sillery. The Bignell residence, one of the oldest still standing in this district of Quebec, has long had exceptional architectural value but its luster had disappeared over the years to the point of being on the verge of salvageability.
The City of Quebec had noted the advanced deterioration of the house in 2008. At the time, an inspection already noted that the physical state of the house seriously compromised its future. “It is urgent to act to save it from demolition,” wrote the City. This building constitutes a very valuable element of the built heritage of Quebec. »
Fifteen years after this observation, its fate seems sealed in the eyes of the municipal administration.
“This is the only reasonable possible avenue today,” indicates the advisor responsible for heritage on the executive committee of the City of Quebec, Mélissa Coulombe-Leduc.
In a press release, the latter throws stones at the owner Denis Jalbert, who acquired the Bignell house in 1987 according to data from the property assessment roll. “We must keep in mind that this decision was not made in 2023,” writes the advisor. It has been taken every year since it was no longer inhabited and the primary responsibility is the owner. »
In its press release, the City specifies that the citation of the Bignell house, located in the Sillery heritage site since 1964, was solely the responsibility of the Quebec government. The press release issued late Monday afternoon states that “it is not possible for the City of Quebec to cite Maison Bignell, as the law does not allow dual status.” The capital recalls having asked the Ministry of Culture twice, in 2009 and 2019, to classify it. The ministry did not respond to these proposals.
Quebec lost the Pasquier house in 2019, a 300-year-old building that was demolished despite strong mobilization from the heritage community. More recently, in May, it was a century-old house located on Avenue Sainte-Geneviève, in the heart of Old Quebec, that the City urgently destroyed, considering that its condition represented a danger to the public.
The City had tools
The City, however, had a legislative arsenal to force the restoration of the building, explains lawyer Charles Breton-Demeule. “When the City claims that it could not cite the building, that is partially erroneous: it could not cite the exterior, that’s true,” he explains. Since 2012, however, it has had the power to cite the interior of a building located on a heritage site. Such a citation would have allowed the City of Quebec to require the owner to preserve the heritage character of the building. »
In addition, municipalities can, since 2004, require owners to carry out maintenance and repair work on their buildings under a by-law on occupancy and maintenance. “In the event of refusal by the respondent owner,” underlines Charle Breton-Demeule, “the law provides that the City can obtain a judgment from the Superior Court which authorizes the City to carry out the work at its expense, before forcing the recalcitrant owner to pay the Invoice.
Since 2016, the government of Quebec has also transferred powers to municipalities regarding the management of classified or designated heritage sites. There continues to be uncertainty regarding the responsibilities devolved to the two levels of government.
The duty asked the City for steps taken to force the restoration of the Bignell house since its acquisition by the current owner in 1987. At the time of writing, the municipality had not responded to the request.
The sun mentioned, in an article published in September 2021, that the City had changed its tone towards the owner by imposing a fine of $3,750. At the time, Régis Labeaume was coming to the end of his political career at the head of Quebec. Bruno Marchand and his team took power two months later.
A five million restoration
Testimony of the roots of an English-speaking bourgeoisie in Quebec in the 19th centurye century, the Bignell house combined Palladian architecture inspired by French and British practices. Still standing after two centuries of history, it took only 35 years of abandonment to sound the death knell for this ancestral home.
In a report commissioned by the City of Quebec and submitted in November 2022, architect Gilles Duchesneau noted the advanced state of decrepitude of the residence. Rot was slowly spreading to its walls, fueled by “significant water infiltration over a long period”. Mold can be detected “without effort”, specified the architect, “by the smell which spreads from the windows”. The roof was falling apart, the foundations were no longer holding up and were collapsing in several places.
This deterioration left little hope as to the possibility of restoring the house while respecting its original parts. The report mentions that only “30% to 40% of the original components could be recovered. » In this context, added the architect, it was necessary to “seriously ask ourselves whether the Bignell house, restored on the site or elsewhere”, would not constitute an “architectural lie”.
The report estimated its refurbishment at five million dollars. “Under these conditions, and given the fact that the owner has no intention of restoring the building,” notes the municipal authority in a press release, “the City, under the recommendation of the CUCQ, judges that it would be unreasonable and irresponsible to commit public funds to ensure its safeguarding. »
Since 2020, temporary shoring has helped prevent the house from collapsing. When carrying out this emergency work, a worker had, despite himself, proven the dilapidation of the structure “by crossing the rotten roof deck”, notes the report.
The situation is “almost insoluble”, wrote Gilles Duchesneau in his report. Given the ever-present risk of collapse, “the foundations, walls and roof would have to be repaired simultaneously, which is not possible. »
Contacted by The dutythe owner of the Bignell house said he did not want to comment.