Description of Historic Place

The Roger-Gaudry Building National Historic Site of Canada is located on the northwest slope of Mount Royal, at the heart of the Université de Montréal campus. This building, erected in two phases between 1928 and 1943, is an impressive institutional building that combines modern, Beaux-Arts and Art Deco architecture. The building has a long main axis anchored by a 22 story central tower, from which extend perpendicular wings of between six and eight storeys in height. The designated site is limited to the footprint of the Roger-Gaudry Building with its monumental staircase on the north side and the two small lawns that border the central wing. The Claire-McNicoll Building, which adjoins it on the west side, is excluded from the designated site.

Heritage Value

The Roger-Gaudry Building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2017. It is recognized because:

- through its grand scale and functional layout, which was originally designed to include laboratories and a teaching hospital, it attests
to French Canada’s new appreciation of scientific disciplines and research in the interwar period and speaks to the emergence of a dynamic Francophone academic and scientific elite committed to higher education;

- designed by architect and engineer Ernest Cormier, this prominent Montréal landmark combines the symmetrical and hierarchical layout of the great French Beaux-Arts tradition with features more typical of twentieth-century architectural modernity, such as a concrete frame, spare masonry facades and stylized geometrical motifs;

- through their monumental scale, quality finishes and attention to colour, lighting and texture, its principal ceremonial spaces – the hall of honour and the main amphitheatre – offer a rare and remarkable sequence of Art Deco-inspired interiors.

This imposing university building combines the great architectural tradition of the Beaux-Arts, modern aesthetic ideas visible in its exterior construction, and an apparent Art Deco influence through the use of quality materials and visual contrasts in its interior spaces. Designed by architect and engineer Ernest Cormier and built between 1928 and 1943, the Roger Gaudry Building is symbolic of the emerging appreciation in French Canada of Francophone scientific research in the early 20th century. This building was the first building to be constructed by the Université de Montréal after it gained its autonomy from Laval University in 1920. Its commanding presence on the mountain speaks to Quebec universities’ dynamism during the interwar years.

Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, December 2012.

Character-Defining Elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:
- its location and visibility on the northwest slope of Mount Royal;
- the symmetry of its layout;
- its central tower;
- its exterior cladding and detailing;
- the vertical lines and the presence of jutting and set back elements;
- its monumental entrance consisting of three large doors crowned with large ornate windows;
- its stone staircase that leads to a stoop of Stanstead grey granite and to the main entrance;
- its lawns crossed by paths leading to the side entrances;
- its secondary entrances that echo the design of the main entrance doors;
- its large, Art Deco-inspired interior public spaces, including finishes, lighting and decor;
- its association with Quebec’s intellectual and academic life.