Description of Historic Place

The Old Customs House is a two-storey, granite building with a low-pitched, hipped roof accentuated by broad end-chimneys. Designed in a Neoclassical style, the building’s principal façade is distinguished by a strong symmetrical disposition of its window and door openings. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Old Customs House in Quebec was designated a Classified Federal Heritage Building for its historical associations and architectural significance. The building illustrates Quebec's traditional role as a major port on the St. Lawrence River, and the importance of the river itself.

The Old Customs House is an excellent and rare surviving example of an 1830s federal building in the Neoclassical style. It has an understated yet monumental appearance, with superb woodwork and plaster decoration.

Sources: Jacqueline Adell, Old Quebec Customs House, Quebec City, Quebec, Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 88-172; Old Quebec Customs House, Quebec City, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement, 88-172.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Old Customs House include:
-the building’s massing, in which the two-story bulk is topped by a low-pitched hipped-roof, accentuated by a broad, symmetrical end chimney;
-the use of a blind arcade and string course to organize and decorate the façade, a defining characteristic of the refined and understated Neoclassicism of the 1830s;
-the surviving interior layout and features, which are outstanding examples of Quebec craftsmanship, including: the exceptional double staircase, the ornamented Greek Revival motifs which adorn the doors and windows, the original doors, the plaster work of the ceiling with its ornamental modilion cornice and decorative rosettes, and three handsome coal-burning fireplaces;
-the visual relationship of the Old Customs House with the St. Lawrence River.