Other Name(s)
Office of the First World Acadian Congress
Résidence Jean-Robert LeBlanc
Jean-Robert LeBlanc Residence
Links and documents
Construction Date(s)
Listed on the Canadian Register:
2009/06/30
Statement of Significance
Description of Historic Place
The Office of the First World Acadian Congress is a residence composed mainly of a two-storey, square, beige brick structure with decorative Roman arches and a rectangular one-storey red brick structure on Amirault Street, at the corner of Amirault and Chapelle streets in Dieppe.
Heritage Value
The Office of the First World Acadian Congress is recognized for its association with Retrouvailles 1994 (the 1994 World Acadian Congress), for its architecture, for its association with Saint-Anselme’s first chapel and for the agricultural use of the site.
The heritage value of this building lies first in its use as an office by the organizing committee of the first World Acadian Congress (COCMA) in 1992 and 1993. In the months leading up to the event, a larger office was rented at 909/911 Champlain Street in Dieppe. The first World Acadian Congress, Retrouvailles 1994, was the largest gathering of Acadians ever seen since the Deportation. From August 12 to 22, 1994, over 200,000 Acadians from around the world took part in a multitude of activities organized in nine municipalities in southeastern New Brunswick.
The heritage value of this building also lies in its architecture and its subsequent transformation. Built around 1928-29, the original two-storey square structure is built in the American Four Square style. Inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, this style is practical and economical and generally consists of a cube topped by a four-sided roof with a central hip dormer. Although the original shape has remained intact, the look of the house has been changed significantly with the addition, around 1972, of two extensions: a two-storey extension to the west, and a one-storey extension to the south. The use of different coloured brick makes it possible to distinguish the extensions from the original square. The designer of this transformation wanted the house to be different from the others in the neighbourhood and achieved this through the use of brick and the construction of two Roman arches on the front façade around the stucco frame of the exterior door and one window.
This building’s heritage value also resides in the fact that it is on the same grant as Saint-Anselme’s first chapel and in its former agricultural use. The Acadians built a first chapel in 1802, dedicated to Saint Anselme, which was later moved to the site of the current church. The presence of the apple trees is a testimony to its agricultural use, especially by the LeBlanc and Brown families.
Source: City of Dieppe, Historic Places file (2), C6
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements that describe the Office of the First World Acadian Congress include:
- the original Four Square plan ;
- hipped roof ;
- central hipped dormer;
- exterior brick finish;
- Roman arches on the front façade;
- adjacent one-storey brick construction;
- apple trees.
Recognition
Jurisdiction
New Brunswick
Recognition Authority
Local Governments (NB)
Recognition Statute
Local Historic Places Program
Recognition Type
Municipal Register of Local Historic Places
Recognition Date
2008/12/08
Historical Information
Significant Date(s)
1994/01/01 to 1994/01/01
Theme - Category and Type
- Expressing Intellectual and Cultural Life
- Architecture and Design
- Building Social and Community Life
- Community Organizations
Function - Category and Type
Current
- Residence
- Multiple Dwelling
Historic
- Residence
- Single Dwelling
- Commerce / Commercial Services
- Office or Office Building
Architect / Designer
n/a
Builder
Thomas Dupuis
Additional Information
Location of Supporting Documentation
City of Dieppe, Historic Places File (2) C6
Cross-Reference to Collection
Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier
1660
Status
Published
Related Places
n/a