Description of Historic Place

The Fog Alarm is located at the Bicquette Island Light Station on a small rocky promontory above the St. Lawrence River. Built on a raised stone foundation, it is a small, one-and-a-half storey clapboard structure with a shingled gable roof and roof vents. The utilitarian building has a wide door and regularly arranged windows on its façades. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

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

Historical Value
The Fog Alarm is associated with the improvement of light stations on the eastern St. Lawrence River and the Gulf of the St. Lawrence. The creation of the Lighthouse Board in 1904 led to a major program of construction. The Fog Alarm provides an illustration of this period of modernization of marine infrastructure with the adoption of the fog alarm, advanced technology at the time, which was used until the 1970s. At the local level, the building represents the first major technological facility to be introduced at the Bicquette Island Light Station to replace the cannons that were previously used as audible signals.

Architectural Value
The Fog Alarm is valued for its good aesthetic and very good functional design. Its utilitarian character is distinguished from that of a dwelling by the absence of ornamental detail and façade treatment usually found on rural homes. This design was developed to suit its purpose, which was to house all the machinery required to operate the Fog Alarm. The old equipment associated with this building is still in place, giving a clear indication of functional program constraints.

Environmental Value
The Fog Alarm, located adjacent to the lighthouse, reinforces the maritime character of its light station setting on Bicquette Island.

Sources: Paul Trépanier, Quatre bâtiments de la station de phare Ile Bicquette, Québec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 96-069; Light Station : Foghorn Shed, Bicquette Island, Québec, Heritage Character Statement, 96-069.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Fog Alarm should be respected.

Its good aesthetic and very good functional design, and good craftsmanship and materials, as for example:
- the strictly utilitarian character of the building as a shelter for the foghorn machinery, and the elements that distinguish it from a dwelling, including the absence of ornamental detail and the façade treatment normally found on rural homes, the single door wide enough to accommodate equipment, and the roof vents;
- the remaining foghorn machinery, as it attests to the advanced technologies developed in the early 20th century as safety improvements for marine traffic in the St. Lawrence River and Gulf, and because it is evidence of functional program constraints.

The manner in which the Fog Alarm reinforces the maritime character of its light station setting, as evidenced by:
- its overall design and materials, which harmonize with the nearby lighthouse and natural surroundings on the island;
- its historical and functional role in association with the other components of the light station, including the lighthouse.