Description of Historic Place

The Hyman Warehouse is a simple, symmetrical building with white, painted, lap siding, coloured exterior trim, multiple-light windows, and a shingled gable roof with bell-shaped eaves. Built into a slope, the building has doors on each of its two separate storage levels and a bridge on the north elevation. The Hyman Warehouse is part of a grouping of buildings that includes the Hyman House and Store, which are located on a bluff near the beach of the Gaspé Bay at Grande-Grave, within Forillon National Park. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Hyman Warehouse has been designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations and its architectural and environmental values:

Historical value
The Hyman Warehouse is 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 was built and inhabited by William Hyman who was an important historical figure in the region. A merchant and exporter, and an influential public figure, William Hyman owned and operated the company William Hyman & Sons which was a major contributor to the local economy. The Warehouse was constructed during the mid-19th century when the fishery was booming and the settlement of Grande-Grave was growing, and as such, it illustrates the pivotal role played by cod exporters and merchants in the settlement of the region. Together, the Hyman Warehouse, and the Hyman House and Store were the very heart of Grande-Grave, and bore witness to the social structure that shaped the Forillon area.

Architectural value
The Hyman Warehouse is a good example of vernacular architecture influenced by Neoclassicism but differs from the house and store in that it has no elements related to public or domestic use. This simple building built into the slope of the site, has doors on each of its two separate storage levels. Designed to protect merchandise from the elements and support heavy loads, the Warehouse is carefully crafted as evidenced by its excellent condition.

Environmental value
The Hyman Warehouse reinforces the present character of Grande-Grave which still evokes the former settlement, and blends with the marine landscape of Forillon owing to its imposing size, its location beside the Hyman House and Store on a bluff near the beach, and its similarity with the neighbouring buildings. The Warehouse is one of a string of buildings along the coast that characterize the cultural landscape of the south shore of the Forillon Peninsula. Open to visitors, it is a highly visible landmark in the area and 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.
Hyman Warehouse, Forillon National Park, Québec. Heritage Character Statement 01-066b.

Character-Defining Elements

The following character¿defining elements of the Hyman Warehouse should be respected, for example:

-The stylistic elements that make the building a good example of the influence of Neoclassicism on Quebec vernacular architecture including the refined massing of the building, which follows the topography of the site, and the symmetrical composition of the elevations;

-The components that illustrate the building methods and techniques that are specific to this vernacular neoclassical tradition, in particular the use of wood as a building material, the shingled roof, the white, painted, lap siding, the coloured exterior trim and the multiple-light windows;

-The roof line with its bell-shaped eaves, a typical feature of 19th-century Quebec vernacular architecture that was somewhat popular in Gaspé;

-Features specific to use of the building as a warehouse including the smaller openings, the versatile open spaces, and the bridge on the north elevation, which shows a clever use of the natural topography of the site;

-The exposed frame of the building, which was designed to carry heavy loads, in particular the wood curves where the beams meet the walls which are reminiscent of shipbuilding techniques;
-The great similarity of style, form and materials that creates the overall harmony of the buildings in Grande-Grave;

-The visual and physical link between the Warehouse and the Hyman House and Store, the site with which they are historically associated, and the commanding view of the bay; and,

-The relationship of the Warehouse to its setting which consists of a rugged coastline, as well as its relationship to the beach and the spread-out settlement of Grande-Grave.