Description of Historic Place

Situated along on the historic Plains of Abraham facing Place Georges V, the Manège de la Grand Allée is a huge building designed in a romantic Chateau style. The exterior elevations are marked by a strongly detailed stone base, a symmetrical arrangement of turrets and buttresses, elaborate gable pediments, and steeply pitched roofs decorated with ventilators and ridge cresting. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Grande Allée Drill Hall has been designated a Classified heritage building because of its historical associations with the development of the military in Canada, and in particular the role of Voltigeurs de Québec, the Royal Rifles, the 10e Escadron du Genie du Canada, and the 58th Battalion of the 6th Field Regiment. The building was also an early and significant example of the chateau style, which became increasingly important in the evolution of Quebec as a symbol of French history and culture in North America. Its impressive chateauesque architecture was atypical of large drill halls constructed across Canada after Confederation.

Well constructed and maintained, it continues to play an important role in establishing the character of the area. It is one of the few drill halls in Canada to retain its central parade ground, a feature which further enhances its landmark status.

Sources:
Sally Coutts, Grande Allée Drill Hall National Historic Site of Canada, Quebec City, Quebec. Federal Heritage Building Review Office Building Report 86-072; Grande Allée Drill Hall National Historic Site of Canada, Quebec City, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement, 86-072.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage character of this property is defined in part by:

-the richness of its exterior elevations, which are marked by a strongly detailed stone base, with asymmetrical arrangement of turrets, buttresses, and elaborate gable pediments, and by steeply pitched roofs, with decorative ventilators and ridge cresting;
-the interior layout and finishes, which reflect the drill hall function for which the building was designed;
-the parade ground, Place Georges V, which is one of the few that survive in Canada in a drill hall context.