Description of Historic Place

Ernest Cormier House National Historic Site of Canada stands on a hillside at the edge of Mount Royal, overlooking Montreal. Designed by Ernest Cormier and built in 1930-31, this striking Art Deco home features a single-storey, stone-clad front elevation comprising two different sized, flat-roofed, cubic volumes. The façade features an oak front door under a semi-circular canopy and decorative stone panel, while a planter, tall window and decorative floral panels are balanced by a simple front garden. The steep, narrow rectangular lot allows a four-storey rear elevation. The formal recognition refers to the house on its legal property.

Heritage Value

Ernest Cormier House was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2017. It is recognized because:

- It is a spectacular example of an Art Deco residence, distinguished by the composition of its main façade and the quality and opulence of its interior design, materials and furniture, which make it a truly unique architectural ensemble in Canada;

- It bears witness to the aesthetic ideas of the 1930s and the personal tastes of architect and engineer Ernest Cormier, who designed it in 1930-1931 and lived there until 1975;

- It is closely associated with the former Prime Minister of Canada, the Right Honourable Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who purchased it in 1979 and, after retiring from politics, made it his personal residence from 1984 to 2000.

A spectacular Art Deco home, the Ernest Cormier House is important both for its architecture, and its association with the Right Honourable Pierre Elliot Trudeau. It speaks to the period and is an exceptional and unique example of the Canadian Art Deco distinguished by both its exterior and interior design, as well as its furniture, some of which was designed specifically for this house. The house design is strictly functional in character with simple volumes and masses. The simplicity of the main façade is relieved by sculptured ornament over the front entrance and the lintel of the studio window. The composition of both the house, its interior, and its furniture are a synthesis of many contemporary ideas of the period including the suppression of superfluous ornamentation. This attractive house with a first floor interior finished in rich and exotic materials, geometric patterns and warm colours, also contains elegant Art Deco-inspired wooden furniture. Ernest Cormier’s creation was inspired by contemporary aesthetics, principally of European origin but made highly personalized and original through his vision, the furniture and his works of art. He lived in the house for forty-four years. It was subsequently the principal residence of Pierre Elliot Trudeau for sixteen years after his retirement from public life.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, December 2011.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- setting on the edge of Mount Royal overlooking Montreal;
- location on a south-facing hillside in a residential neighbourhood;
- massing and adaptation to the sloping site with four-storey rear elevation, and a one-storey, asymmetrical front elevation combining two flat-roofed, rectangular volumes, projecting/receding planes and stepped roofline;
- concrete frame construction, artificial flagstone cladding of the top storey/street façade and stucco on the lower storeys;
- Art Deco elements including flat-roofed profile, exterior ornamentation with vertical lines, linear cornice, decorative panels above entrance and living room window, stylized pilasters and semi-circular canopy;
- design, materials and placement of doors and windows including oak front door;
- interior plan and detailing including; decoration, finishes, fittings, original materials, furnishings, and art including Dancer of Oslo by Henri Hébert, and colours and accessories reflecting Ernest Cormier’s original design and period of occupation;
- design, treatment and configuration of the front and back garden.