While the work of moving the Villa Frederick-James, in Percé, has already begun, the Minister of Culture and Communications, Nathalie Roy, has just officially announced that it will become the new Espace Bleu de la Gaspésie, in $22 million fee.
Property of Laval University since 2007, the Frederick-James villa, threatened by the erosion of Cap de Mont-Joli where it is perched, was built around 1888 by the American painter Frederick-James. It has since housed many artists in residence, as well as a summer school of the institution.
The minister announced that the villa would be moved 19 meters “to ensure its long-term safeguard”. “Heritage restoration work and expansion in the basement and upgrading to standards will then be carried out”.
The Frederick-James villa was selected “for its emblematic architecture, its cultural history and the heritage value of the landscape of the declared site of Percé”.
An extraordinary building
According to the director of the Musée de la Gaspésie, in Gaspé, Martin Roussy, “the rescue of this extraordinary building” is the element of the project “which has raised the most unanimity”. In addition, Mr. Roussy, who was initially worried about the creation of the Espace Bleu de la Gaspésie, specified that things “have become clearer” since then, over “evolving discussions”.
The Espace Bleu de la Gaspésie should be more of a “cultural hub” than a museum, he says he understands. Its content will also be the subject of a “collaborative committee”, all so that “there is not too much rapprochement, and that we do not step on each other’s toes”, says Mr Roussy.
The fact that the Villa Frederick-James now houses a Blue Space of the Government of Quebec does not, however, only make people happy. His neighbour, Jean-Louis Lebreux, founder of the Le Chafaud Museum in Percé in 1983, would have liked the villa to be transformed into an authentic museum, and to move his own household there. In Percé, “the landscape is grandiose and sublime,” he says, and has inspired great names in art, including Georgia O’Keeffe and André Breton. Jean-Louis Lebreux cannot house all the works he would like in his museum, which does not, moreover, meet museum standards. This did not prevent him from presenting works by Françoise Sullivan, Marc-Aurèle Fortin, or Kittie Bruneau, who has also worked a lot in Percé.
Dedicated to Quebec identity
“If I understood correctly, says Jean-Louis Lebreux, we decided that the Blue Space would be dedicated to our Quebec identity. But tourists do not spend two weeks in Percé. They will decide to go one way or the other”.
For his part, Martin Roussy adds that the Espace Bleu will not take care of managing “collections or archives”, since only a duly accredited museum can do so. It will not be, he says, “a classic museum”.
The ministry announced today that it is the Société québécoise des infrastructures which “has been designated to manage the work of the construction and development project for the Espace Bleu de la Gaspésie”.
Last October, Radio-Canada revealed that the building of the Frederick-James villa had been donated free of charge by Laval University to the Museum of Civilization, which oversees the start of construction of all Blue Spaces in Quebec. Radio-Canada also indicated that “an agreement for just over $154,000 was concluded by call for tenders with the engineering firm CIMA +, from the Capitale-Nationale region, for the design of the plans and estimates as well as for the follow-up of the works”.
Université Laval responded in writing on Friday that “the will of the University, since the acquisition in 2007, was to ensure the long-term maintenance of the Villa Frederick-James, while devoting to it a vocation anchored in regional development.
Funding issues
It is the problem of financing, in particular of the imminent work to be carried out, which has prevented other projects from materializing there. “This building has not been in the possession of Université Laval since September 28, 2021, writes Simon La Terror, advisor to the communications department of Université Laval. The sale of the Villa (for free) came at the right time. Although discussions took place and brainstorming sessions were carried out with community partners, no project was about to materialize in the short term, in particular due to the lack of funding or specific grant. to this end “.