Description of Historic Place

The Mont Laurier Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR) station is a medium sized station that contains both railway and residential quarters. It is an attractive, picturesque building located on rue Vaudreuil surrounded by local industrial and railway structures.

Heritage Value

Mont Laurier’s CPR station was designated a heritage railway station for its historical role in settlement of the Laurentides region as well as its contribution to the context of its community.

Built in 1909, it is the last of a series of stations built by the CPR to respond to a Quebec government initiative encouraging settlement north of the St. Lawrence River. The station is integrally linked to development and operation of the town’s sustaining industries, sawmilling and tourism. It is also a reminder of the critical role of the railway in establishing the town as a centre of population.

The Mont Laurier CPR station was constructed using the company’s Standard Plan No. 10. This was a plan for a reasonably large station that included space for passenger and baggage facilities, railway operations, and residential quarters for the stationmaster and his family. The Mont Laurier station was altered in 1928 to incorporate a new express area, as well as a fire escape and balcony for the residence without disturbing its overall integrity.

Heritage value of the Mont Laurier station resides in those features which conform to CPR Standard Plan No. 10, including the station’s original design, layout, details and materials, as well as those elements added in 1928 which support the overall appearance and functionality of the station.

Source:
· Heritage Character Statement, Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Mont Laurier, Quebec, May 1991. Heritage Assessment Report RSR-022, 1990.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Mont Laurier Canadian Pacific Railway Station include:
- the rectangular footprint, and balanced massing of the station as a 1 ½ storey central section with a hipped roof, capped dormers and prominent chimneys, and two single storey wings, each with a ridge roof with a hipped end and broad, slightly bell cast eaves,
- its compact scale and regular proportions,
- the balance inherent in its vertical definition,
- the rhythmic placement of its apertures,
- the interest in its roof definition from all four perspectives,
- its picturesque details: varied roof forms, multi-paned grouped windows with lights, corner brackets, broad eaves with a bell cast edge, the presence of dormers, the presence of a wainscot line, the presence of a (1928) rear gallery and fire escape,
- its use of cost effective wooden materials: wood siding walls, wood for brackets, trim and wainscot definition, wood doors and windows,
- its simple, competent craftsmanship,
- all original fabric, finishes and furnishings inside the station, in particular surviving floor, partition, ceiling, door, window and counter materials,
- continued legibility of its dual function as a residence and station,
- legibility of its original functional layout and spatial configuration, particularly the waiting room, stationmaster’s office, baggage and express areas of the station and the separate residential area,
- continued use of long term access and circulation patterns,
- the overall integrity of the building’s form, plan, material, and detail.