Maison Cartier National Historic Site of Canada

Maison Cartier was designated as a National Historic Site of Canada in 1982 because:

-for most of its existence, it was associated with the history of inn keeping, it represents an example of the type of building used as an inn and is one of the last remaining inns in a major city that were very popular in the early 19th century; and -it is an example of early 19th-century urban architecture in Quebec.

In 1808 a parcel of the property was transferred to the City of Montreal to develop a public market, the “New Marketplace,” known today as Place Jacques-Cartier. In the midst of this flurry of growth, Augustin Perrault and Louis Parthenay became involved in land speculation. The two associates purchased land in the New Marketplace and then on March 10, 1812, made an agreement with Amable Amiot to build two to three houses at the location. The first building completed was Maison Cartier. As soon as it was finished, it was rented out. One of its first occupants was Joseph Sicard Carufel, an innkeeper. Today, Maison Cartier is a restaurant and one of the last small inns still standing in Canada.

Maison Cartier is an example of a building used as an inn in the early 19th century, a very popular type of building at a time where travellers had to make frequent stops. Now covered with cut stone, it is endowed with a new gallery at street level. The ground floor is characterized by large windows and double doors on the left side. Six windows, arranged in a row, adorn the second floor and three accentuate the gabled roof. Covered in tinplate, the roof is closed in by firewalls that extend the gabled walls.