Description of Historic Place

The Canadian Pacific Railway (former Quebec, Montreal, Ottawa and Occidental Railroad (QMO&O)) Station at Sainte Anne-de-la-Pérade is situated to the north of the village in an industrial and service sector generated by its presence. It is a small picturesque one storey station with the fine features of its 1877 period of origin.

Heritage Value

Sainte Anne de la Perade’s Canadian Pacific Railway Station was designated a heritage railway station for its historical importance and its architectural and environmental qualities.

The QMO&O, which linked Hull with Quebec City through Montreal, was Quebec’s first railway. From the time of its construction it served as an impetus for the urbanization and industrial development of centres along its route.

Sainte Anne de la Perade’s Canadian Pacific Railway Station, with its domestic scale and simple features, is representative of the stations originally constructed along the St. Lawrence and Ottawa River route of the QMO&O. Its typicality is endorsed by its distinctive street and track side gables, fine aesthetic qualities and siting.

Heritage value of Sainte Anne de la Perade’s Canadian Pacific Railway Station is defined by those qualities that make it representative of 19th century QMO&O stations. These include its transverse gabled roof supported by wooden brackets, gabled window bays, large sashed windows and horizontal board siding. Its roof details and compact decorations add a picturesque touch. The station’s location on the edge of the village illustrates its impact on local spatial and economic growth.

Source:
· Heritage Character Statement, Canadian Pacific Railway Station, Sainte Anne de la Perade, Quebec, March 1994. Heritage Assessment Report RSR-186, 1992.

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Sainte Anne de la Perade Canadian Pacific Railway Station include:

- its slightly cruciform footprint, and one storey massing under a modestly pitched roof with transverse gables,
- its fine proportions, small scale, and vertical orientation,
- the presence of gabled bays on both the track and town side as its major feature,
- the rhythmic placement of its apertures and brackets,
- the smooth aesthetic integration of special railway features such as a projecting telegrapher’s bay and broad eaves to provide passenger shelter,
- its picturesque details: complex roof form, wooden brackets, gabled bays, large sashed windows, horizontal board siding, roof details and decorations,
- its simple original materials: horizontal wood siding, wooden brackets and details, wood windows, doors and trim,
- the care and craftsmanship evident in its assembly,
- its platform frame construction technology,
- all original fabric inside the station,
- legibility of the station’s original functional configuration and spatial volumes,
- legibility and continued use of longstanding access and circulation patterns, particularly those surviving in the public areas,
- the overall integrity of the building’s form, plan, material, and detail.