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Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada

Centrale Street, Memramcook, New Brunswick, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1994/06/05

Rear view of Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada, showing the hipped roof.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
Rear view
Corner view of Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada, showing the imposing rusticated olive sandstone.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
Corner view
Interior view of Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada, showing the theatre with its original seating and historic floor plan.; Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.
Interior view

Other Name(s)

Monument-Lefebvre National Historic Site of Canada
Monument-Lefebvre
Monument-Lefebvre
College Saint-Joseph
Collège Saint-Joseph

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1896/01/01 to 1897/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2009/02/27

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

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.

Heritage Value

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.

Character-Defining Elements

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.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Federal

Recognition Authority

Government of Canada

Recognition Statute

Historic Sites and Monuments Act

Recognition Type

National Historic Site of Canada

Recognition Date

1994/06/05

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
Learning and the Arts
Building Social and Community Life
Community Organizations
Building Social and Community Life
Education and Social Well-Being

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Community
Commemorative Monument

Architect / Designer

James C. Dumaresq

Builder

n/a

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

National Historic Sites Directorate, Documentation Centre, 5th Floor, Room 89, 25 Eddy Street, Gatineau, Quebec

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

826

Status

Published

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General view

Monument Lefebvre

The Monument Lefebvre is a large cube-like building with a balanced composition. Constructed of rough-faced stone in an eclectic, late 19th-century manner, it has a monumental…

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