Description of Historic Place

The Alphée LeBlanc House is a two-storey brick Postwar home located on Acadie Avenue in Dieppe.

Heritage Value

Two realities give the Alphée LeBlanc House significant heritage interest: it was built and owned by the second mayor of Dieppe and it provides an excellent example of Postwar architecture, which particularly favoured the use of brick and was fairly rare in Dieppe.

It was at the end of 1953, scarcely more than three years after he got married and settled in Dieppe, where he acquired the former Sainte-Thérèse Church and transformed it into a recreation centre, that businessman Alphée LeBlanc took on two ambitious projects simultaneously: running for mayor and acquiring the lot adjoining his on Acadie Avenue in order to have a large modern house built there. Early the following year, Alphée was elected mayor, and on this coveted lot, his builder friend Belliveau built him a spacious home of brick and stone, in the most up-to-date style, with varied fenestration and a garage attached to the main part of the building. By July, Alphée was able to move his family, which included two children at the time, into the house. In 1957, after the priest of Sainte-Thérèse forced him to sell the recreation centre, which had become too lucrative, back to the parish, Alphée had a beach house built at Pointe-du-Chêne, offering, in addition to food and the usual amenities, music, dancing and shows. The “Blue Circle” attracted all the young people from along the coast and from the city. Such a successful and profitable formula also attracted the attention of the provincial government of the time, which forced the businessman to sell the property to the Province. In September 1963, on the same evening that he reluctantly signed the transfer of Blue Circle, Alphée suffered a heart attack and died.

Source: City of Dieppe, Historic Places file (2), A11

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the Alphée LeBlanc Residence include:
- ultramodern concept designed by a businessman at the time of his election as second mayor of Dieppe;
- excellent example of Postwar architecture, rare in Dieppe, which made use of brick and varied fenestration with experimental windowpanes;
- spacious interior – large living room, large kitchen, four large bedrooms on the main floor;
- varied windows, such as the immense living room opening, the central ocatgonal window, and special windowpanes, for example stained-glass windows in certain places;
- garage attached to the northwest side of the house.