Description of Historic Place

The Hotel Dieu Hospital in Bathurst, built in 1942 as a modern hospital, is now an apartment building owned by Vienneau Apartments Ltd. It consists of a 4-story brick and stone institutional building in a pavilion layout. It is located on a beautiful property called Pine Hill, right next to the bishop’s residence on Murray Avenue in Bathurst.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Hotel Dieu Hospital as a local historic place lies in the important role of religious organizations in the delivery of health care in the Bathurst region.

As early as 1930, Msgr. Dosithée Robichaud (1884-1965), parish priest of Bathurst, had in mind to establish a modern hospital that would be run by the Hospitallers of St. Joseph. He purchased a property that included a spacious residence that would become the bishop’s residence. He donated part of the land for construction of the hospital and persuaded the Religious Hospitallers of St. Joseph to operate it. From 1942 to 1958, the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Bathurst was directed successively by Mothers Saint-Albert, Marie-du-Sacré-Cœur, Saint-Joseph, Laplante, Sainte-Thérèse-de-l’Enfant-Jésus, and Audet.

The heritage value is also associated with the architect who drew up the plans. The structure, built somewhat in the Modernist style, has a 165-foot façade and is 40 feet deep with a wing measuring 50 feet by 40 feet. It is considered to be both solid and elegant with harmonious lines. The design for the hospital is attributed to Louis-Napoléon Audet (1881-1971), a famous architect from Sherbrooke. Louis N. Audet also drew the plans for the Moncton Cathedral and participated in the construction of the Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré Basilica. In 1942, he founded the Sherbrooke company Audet, Tremblay et Audet. He was a member of the New Brunswick and Quebec architects’ associations and the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada. In 1939, he was named a Fellow of the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, and in 1951, he received the Medal of Merit from the Province of Quebec Association of Architects.

Source: Bathurst Heritage Trust Commission Inc. files: "Hotel Dieu Hospital"

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Hotel Dieu Hospital in Bathurst include the elements associated with its location and those associated with the building.

The character-defining elements associated with its location include:
- location on top of a hill with an extensive property;
- proximity to the bishop’s residence on the same land.

The elements associated with the building include:
- shape of the main section, despite the fact that the original siding is hidden by more modern sheet metal;
- ground floor exterior in local granite;
- secondary wing with its original brick siding;
- original openings in the secondary wing;
- main entrance.