Description of Historic Place

The Hyman House and Store is a two-storey building with white lap siding and coloured trim on three elevations and cedar shingles on the eastern elevation, multiple-light double-hung windows, a stone foundation, a shingled gable roof with bell-shaped eaves, two levels of verandas that run the full length of the southwest elevation, and a shed addition on the north-east (rear) elevation. The Hyman House and Store is part of a grouping of buildings that includes the Warehouse, which are located on a bluff near the beach of the Gaspé Bay at Grande-Grave, within Forillon National Park. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Hyman House and Store has been designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical value
The Hyman House and Store is associated with the national theme of the cod fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which was the main activity and the driving force behind the Gaspé economy for several centuries. The building was built and inhabited by William Hyman who was an important historical figure in the region. A merchant and exporter, and an influential public figure, William Hyman owned and operated the company William Hyman & Sons which was a major contributor to the local economy. The Hyman House and Store was constructed during the mid-19th century when the fishery was booming and the settlement of Grande-Grave was growing, and as such, it illustrates the pivotal role played by cod exporters and merchants in the settlement of the region. As the boss’s house and later a store, the building was the very heart of Grande-Grave, and it bore witness to the social structure that shaped the Forillon area.

Architectural value
The Hyman House and Store is a good example of vernacular architecture influenced by Neoclassicism. The building combines elements that are typical of Quebec and American house design, as well as features adapted to suit the particular constraints of the site, and specific functional requirements. The Hyman House and Store is an imposing two-storey building featuring verandas that run the full length of the southwest elevation, and that reflect its original use as a dwelling. Easily adapted to serve as a store and storage facility, it is a carefully crafted building that features fine carpentry detailing, particularly in the ground-floor store where the woodwork is still in excellent condition.

Environmental value
The Hyman House and Store reinforces the present character of Grande-Grave which still evokes the former settlement, and blends with the marine landscape of Forillon owing to its imposing size, its position on a bluff near the beach, and its visual connection with the neighbouring buildings. The Hyman House and Store is one of a string of buildings along the coast that characterize the cultural landscape of the south shore of the Forillon Peninsula. Open to visitors, it is a highly visible landmark in the area and, speaks to the presence of a former, traditional Gaspé coastal fishing village.

Sources:
Roch Samson, Christine Chartré, Michel Bédard, Paul Trépanier, Yvan Fortier, The Houses and Outbuildings
of Grande-Grave, Forillon National Park, Québec. Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office Building Report
01-066.

Hyman House and Store, Forillon National Park, Québec. Heritage Character Statement 01-066a.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Hyman House and Store should be respected, for example:

-The stylistic elements that make this building an interesting example of the influence of Neoclassicism on Quebec vernacular architecture including the refined massing of the main two-storey building flanked by an addition, the stone foundation that follows the topography of the site, the symmetry of the gable walls and the division of the other walls into five bays and, the verandas that run the full length of the south wall, which were rebuilt when the building was restored;

-The components that illustrate the building methods and techniques that are specific to this vernacular neoclassical tradition, in particular the use of wood as a building material, the shingled roof, the white, painted, lap siding and the coloured exterior trim and, the multiple-light double-hung windows and the board panelling on the interior walls. The shingle siding of the east wall, which is more weather resistant, illustrates the adaptation of this tradition to the constraints of the site;

-The roof line with its bell-shaped eaves, a typical feature of 19th-century Quebec vernacular architecture that was somewhat popular in the Gaspé region;

-Features specific to use of the building as a store including the display windows, the signage and the recessed entry on the west elevation, the single space on the ground floor with its built-in furnishings (shelves and counters), and the partitions that speak to a vault and a root cellar in the basement;

-The great similarity of style, form and materials that creates the overall harmony of the buildings in Grande-Grave;

-The visual and physical link between the Hyman House and Store, the Warehouse, and the site with which it is historically associated as well as, the commanding view of the bay; and,

-The relationship of the house to its setting which consists of a rugged coastline, as well as its relationship to the beach and the spread-out settlement of Grande-Grave.