Description of Historic Place

The VIA Rail Station at Hébertville-Station is a one-storey, brick railway station, built between 1931 and 1933. It is located in the small hamlet of Hébertville-Station, in the heart of Québec’s Saguenay - Lac-St-Jean region. The formal recognition is confined to the railway station building itself.

Heritage Value

The VIA Rail Station at Hébertville-Station represents the important role of the railway in the colonization and development of the Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean region in general, and Hébertville-Station in particular. The construction of the station was considered a priority in the rebuilding of the town of Hébertville-Station following a 1930 fire.

The Hébertville-Station station is a good example of inter-war railway station design, combining traditional stylistic expression and layout with up-to-date construction materials and techniques. The station retains its original layout and division of spaces. The high quality of its construction materials and finishes reflect the Canadian National Railways’ desire to maintain a positive, progressive image throughout the Depression of the 1930s.

The station retains its relationship to the railway tracks, and to nearby homes and businesses.

Sources: Heritage Character Statement, Hébertville-Station, Québec, March 26, 1996; Susan D. Bronson, Railway Station Report 257, VIA Rail (formerly Canadian National Railways) Station, Hébertville-Station, Québec.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the VIA Rail Station at Hébertville-Station include:
- its low profile, overhanging eaves, decoration and gable roof, all of which connect it to railway station designs of the earlier, turn-of-the-century period;
- the mirrored-image symmetry of its track- and town-side elevations, with projecting bays on both sides;
- its Arts-and-Craft styling, evident in its deep, overhanging eaves with paired, decorated brackets; the projecting, squared bay on the track side; multi-paned windows and wood-paneled doors with multi-paned lights; polychromatic brickwork; the cottage-like entrances formed by sash windows on either side of a single door topped by a transom; and its windowed door in the baggage-handling section of the station;
- its masonry work, composed of textured yellow-brown brick, with a yellow bonding course at regular intervals;
- its brick construction, reflecting the concerns of its community and the railway company to reduce the risk of fire;
- the emphasis on horizontality achieved by its long, low profile and string-course brickwork;
- its interior layout and division of space, with spaces for a general waiting room, women’s waiting room, agent’s office, and baggage and express areas;
- surviving original interior materials and details, including tongue-and-groove wainscoting in the public areas; and picture rail mouldings.