Description of Historic Place

Bolton-Est Town Hall National Historic Site of Canada consists of a two-storey clapboard township hall building, located in the municipality of Bolton-Est, Quebec. Although the building dates from the second half of the 19th century and is very small in scale, Bolton-Est Town Hall has a highly sophisticated architectural design. Designed to serve several purposes, the Bolton-Est Town Hall contained facilities for town administration and a courtroom. Official recognition refers to the building on its legal lot at the time of its designation and in its existing spatial relationships.

Heritage Value

The Bolton-Est Town Hall was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1984 because:
- a rare example of regional building traditions, this structure stands as a graceful tribute to the development of local self-government and to community spirit.

The Municipal and Road Act for Lower Canada was passed in 1855, resulting in the construction of many public buildings in the English-speaking communities of rural Québec during the second half of the 19th century. The Bolton-Est Town Hall was erected in 1867 and for economic reasons, used a volunteer community workforce, was constructed of locally obtained wood and was designed to serve various functions. It housed a council chamber and a social meeting place; however, the presence of a classroom on the ground floor is unique and distinguishes the building from previous township halls in Canada. The Bolton-Est Town Hall is also a rare example of a wood township hall that has preserved some of its functions, its original appearance and its sophisticated architecture. This structure stands as a graceful tribute to the development of local self-government and to community spirit in Canada.

Sources: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, March 1991.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location in the municipality of Bolton-Est, Quebec on the banks of the Missisquoi River;
- its setting on a small treed lot close to route Missisquoi;
- the building’s design, consisting of a two-storey rectangular structure with a gable roof, and a symmetrical main façade with a projecting centre;
- the volume of the building and its openings including the openings that testify the presence of a classroom on the ground floor;
- the wood frame construction and white painted clapboard siding;
- any surviving interior elements of the functional plan and any surviving original interior finishes;
- viewscapes from the site across route Missisquoi to the Missisquoi River.