Description of Historic Place

Building 19, also known as the Third-Class Hotel, is located in the western sector of Grosse Île on the St. Lawrence River, in the Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site of Canada. It is a two-storey, concrete building with a gabled roof and a long, symmetrical façade. Three projecting gables and buttresses provide vertical emphasis and balance the regular alignment of the windows. Metal staircases are fixed to the exterior while the main entrances are located at the extremities of the building. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

Building 19 is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
Building 19 is one of the best examples of a structure associated with immigration and quarantine in Canada, and is an integral part of a series of structures reserved for receiving healthy immigrants. Located in the “healthy” western section, the construction of the Building 19 is evidence of the major redevelopment of the station at that time and is the result of the pressure brought to bear by the large shipping companies keen to offer healthy passengers accommodations in keeping with their travel class. During the Second World War, this building housed the officers’ quarters and was later converted to a hay storage building.

Architectural Value
Building 19 is valued for its good aesthetic design. The building is characterized by an austere classicism, the clean and simple lines of the façade punctuated only by the projecting gables and buttresses. Its concrete construction was regarded as an avant-garde, modern material at the time. Good functional design is seen in the carefully planned, guest accommodations with an unusual layout, in which the kitchen and dining room occupy the extremities of each floor, while the bathrooms are located in the centre, in the middle of the guest rooms. Very good workmanship is seen in the concrete construction and interior finishes, including the staircase, the panelling, and woodwork.

Environmental Value
Building 19 reinforces the present historic character of its immigration and quarantine setting on the western section of the island, and is a local landmark.

Sources: Histoire et Archéologie, Bureau régional de Québec, L’hôtel de troisieme classe (no 19), Grosse-île, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Report 93-031, (Partie IV: 1901-1920); Third-Class Hotel, Building No.19, Grosse Île, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement 93-031.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of Building 19 should be respected.

Its good aesthetics, its good functional design and very good craftsmanship, for example:
- the two-storey massing of the long, rectangular building with a gable roof;
- the concrete construction, and the parged exterior walls;
- the austere principal façade with three projecting gables and buttresses;
- the regularly placed hung sash windows and doors;
- the exterior metal staircases, and the main entrances located at the extremities of the building protected by wooden awnings;
- the interior configuration, the finishes and trim, including the wooden floors, panelled walls, plaster surfaces, wood trim, hardware and staircases, and the period light fixtures.

The manner in which Building 19 reinforces the historic character of its immigration and quarantine setting on Grosse Île, and is a landmark on the St. Lawrence River, as evidenced by:
- its scale, design and materials, which complement the related, adjacent historic structures including the first and third class hotels, the Old Wash House, their interconnected traffic routes, and the shoreline;
- its location as an integral part of an ensemble of structures on the western sector of the island.