Description of Historic Place

The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Park, is a large, symmetrical, two-storey, building with clapboard and vertical plank siding and the contrasting exterior trim, a low hip roof, and an addition at the rear of the building. The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkis part of a grouping of buildings that includes a barn, which are located at the heart of Grande-Grave, on a large cleared site that slopes down to the shore of the Gaspé Bay, within Forillon National Park. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkhas been designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental values:

Historical value
The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkis 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 bears the name of one of its occupants, Alfred W. Dolbel, an agent of the William Fruing & Company, and like the other buildings in Grande-Grave, illustrates the pivotal role played by cod exporters and merchants in the settlement of the region, and the social structure and economic dynamics that shaped traditional Gaspé fishing villages like this one.

Architectural value
The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkis a forerunner and good example, in very simple form, of the foursquare house that became popular in the early 20th century. Elements typical to the foursquare house are evident in the well-preserved interior, and include unique decorative elements. Despite its distinctive style, the Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkfeatures, in both look and function, many of the Neoclassical elements common to the neighbouring houses, and demonstrates a continuity in building traditions in domestic architecture at Grande-Grave.

Environmental value
The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkreinforces the present character of Grande-Grave which still evokes the former settlement, and blends with the marine landscape of Forillon owing to its design which is compatible with other buildings in Grande-Grave, and to its siting which is well-integrated with the site’s topography. The Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkis the last in a string of buildings along the coast that characterize the cultural landscape of the south shore of the Forillon Peninsula. A familiar landmark in the area, the house 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; Alfred W. Dolbel House, Forillon National Park, Québec, Heritage Character Statement 01-066i.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Alfred W. Dolbel House in Forillon National Parkshould be respected.
-features specific to a foursquare house, such as the simple massing and large scale, the building’s monumental appearance, the strong symmetry, and the low hip roof;
-the components that illustrate continuity in the use of building methods and techniques that are specific to this vernacular neoclassical tradition, in particular the use of wood as a building material, the clapboard and vertical plank siding and the contrasting exterior trim;

-the decorative elements and finishes inside the house, which are distinct from the elements commonly found in houses in Grande-Grave;
-the interior layout which is representative of Neoclassical houses and consists of two floors with four rooms around a centre hall;
-the addition at the back of the house, a common feature of foursquare buildings and typical of houses in Grande-Grave;
-the great similarity of style, form and materials that creates the overall harmony of the buildings in Grande-Grave;
-the relationship of the house to its setting which consists of a rugged coastline, as well as its relationship to the spread-out settlement of Grande-Grave.