Description of Historic Place

The Armoury is prominently located in the core of the business district in Matane Québec. It is a two-storey, red brick building with a green-painted, metal clad hipped roof, and a projecting four-storey corner tower with an arched entrance. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Armoury is Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and architectural and environmental value.

Historical Value
The Armoury is associated with the development of a national postal service extending into rural centers. The construction of the building represents an extension of the federal presence in Québec and the provision of government services into regional administrative centers. The building’s role as a post office changed to accommodate the local militia in 1979.

Architectural Value
The Armoury is valued for its good aesthetic and functional design. The Romanesque Revival detailing of the building is used in a restrained and simplified manner. The striking feature of the asymmetrical massing of clock tower and office block is characteristic of the distinctive federal post office designs of the early 1900s. Good craftsmanship is evident throughout.

Environmental Value
The Armoury reinforces the historic character of its urban streetscape setting in Matane and is a well-known building in the region.

Sources: Martha Phemister, Matane Armoury (former Public Building), Matane, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 90-270; Matane Armoury, Matane, Québec, Heritage Character Statement, 90-270.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Armoury should be respected.

Its good aesthetic and functional design and good craftsmanship and materials, for example:
- the two-storey cube-like massing of the hipped-roof structure with dormers and a four-storey clock tower;
- the well-scaled façades and regular arrangement of windows grouped in a variety of ways, including singly, paired, and in threes;
- the façades executed in red brick with crisp accents of white stone either rough faced or smooth and decoratively carved;
- the painted metal used for the ribbed roofing, finely detailed fascias, and flashings of the masonry;
- the generously scaled wood sash windows, and the wood entrance doors with their panelling, glazing, and hardware;
- the interior plan which maintains the principal access points to the building, as well as the internal circulation system;
- the interior surviving significant finishes.

The manner in which the Armoury reinforces the historic character of its urban streetscape setting in Matane and is a well-known building in the region, as evidenced by:
-its overall scale, design and materials, which harmonize with its streetscape surroundings and adjacent building such as the Palais de Justice;
-its visibility owing to its prominent location on a corner site in the core of the city’s business district;
-its role within the community as a former post-office and as an armoury for the local militia, making it a community landmark.