Description of Historic Place

Trestler House National Historic Site of Canada is located on a point of land jutting into a bend of the Ottawa River, in the centre of Vaudreuil-Dorion, Québec, near the boundary line that once distinguished these former communities. A fine example of traditional Québec architecture, it is a one-and-a-half-storey, gable-roofed rubblestone house that dates from the end of the 18th century. Official recognition refers to the house and its property at the time of designation.

Heritage Value

Trestler House was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1969 because:
- the extended eaves, rubblestone walls, many openings and chimneys of Trestler House make it a fine example of traditional Quebec architecture.

The heritage value of Trestler House lies in its illustration of the qualities of the traditional “Maison québécoise”, or vernacular Quebec domestic architecture, from the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Trestler House was built by John Joseph Trestler in three stages: the centre portion in 1798, the western wing in 1805, and the eastern wing in 1806. An ambitious merchant determined to prosper from growing trade through Montréal, Trestler built this prestigious house on the Ottawa River, the major river highway to Upper Canada and the West. Trestler’s descendents continued to occupy this house with little change until 1927. In 1984 it became the property of the Trestler Foundation, a private trust created to ensure its preservation and public accessibility as a heritage building.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, May 1969, June 1989.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location on a point of land overlooking the Ottawa River, in the centre of Vandreuil-Dorion;
- its rectangular, one-and-a-half-storey massing under a steeply pitched gable roof with dormers, extended eaves, and multiple chimneys;
- its many regularly arranged window and door openings;
- surviving original building materials and craftsmanship such as its quarried rubblestone walls and interior and exterior wood detailing;
- inscriptions carved in the cut limestone set in both the east and west wing walls;
- the vernacular craftsmanship and building technology evident in its construction;
- evidence of the original interior layout, materials and craftsmanship including the original design and materials of the fur vault.