Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada

Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada is an imposing stone structure situated on an elevated site on the campus of Saint-Joseph’s College in Memramcook, New Brunswick. The building is constructed of rusticated New Brunswick olive sandstone and its symmetrical, classically designed façade features Romanesque Revival details. The structure houses a theatre and classrooms, facilities that contributed to the goal of sustaining and nourishing Acadian culture and education. Official recognition refers to the building on its footprint.

The Monument-Lefebvre was designated a national historic site of Canada because:

- the memorial to Father Camille Lefebvre occupies a special place in the hearts and minds of the Acadian people.

The Monument-Lefebvre was built in memory of Father Camille Lefebvre, who died in 1895. Work commenced in 1896, and the building was officially opened in 1897. Father Lefebvre founded the College Saint-Joseph at Memramcook as the first French language institution to confer university degrees in the Atlantic region, and played a prominent role in the rebirth of Acadian culture in Canada in the late 19th century. Closed in the 1970s, the building was preserved as a memorial to Acadian culture and Father Lefebvre’s work. Its heritage value lies in its association with Father Lefebvre as illustrated by its use and physical characteristics.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minute, June 1994.

The key elements that contribute to the heritage character of this site include:

- those elements which speak to Father Lefebvre’s role in the rebirth of Acadian culture and learning, specifically the function of the building as a multifunctional theatre and learning institution;

- the theatre in its original volume and with its historic fittings, including the iron railing, original seating, wooden ceiling, and the historic floor plan and interior finishes;

- those elements of the building which speak to its role as a monument to Father Lefebvre, specifically its monumental design, articulated in its symmetrical elevation, hipped roof with conical pavilion roofs, imposing rusticated olive sandstone, carved commemorative tablet, date stone, commemorative stained glass windows, and Romanesque Revival decorative features;

- its dramatic setting atop a hill overlooking the neighbouring landscape.