Description of Historic Place

Located in a large landscaped area adjacent to Lac des Fées Park, the Bisson Centre is discreetly situated in a residential neighbourhood in Gatineau. Pitted brick facing, the extensive use of glass surfaces and a slightly recessed entrance portal characterize the four-storey centre. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

Heritage Value

The Bisson Centre is a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

Historical Value
The Bisson Centre is associated with its original use as a classical college for boys. It was an indirect consequence of the educational reform of the 1960s in Quebec, which led to the creation of a public college system.

Architectural Value
The Bisson Centre is an example of good aesthetic design and is a testimony to the functionalist approach that marked the post-war design of educational institutions, when integration in the urban setting and human scale prevailed over the desire for monumental buildings. Its cubic, asymmetric massing with a high percentage of glassed surfaces to maximise natural light results in an elegant building. The interior layout of the building is equally as rational and thoughtful, with great concern for detail, evident in the modular lines of the partitions, which often define the building’s wooden libraries.

Environmental Value
The Bisson Centre maintains an unchanged relationship to its site, reinforces the present park-like character of its landscaped setting and is known in the neighbourhood.

Sources: Bisson Centre, 15 Bisson Street, Gatineau, Quebec, Federal Heritage Buildings Review Office, Building Report, 98-041; Bisson Centre, 15 Bisson Street, Gatineau, Quebec, Heritage Character Statement, 98-041

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements of the Bisson Centre should be respected.

Its good aesthetic and functional design and its good craftsmanship and materials, for example:
- the building’s functional L-shaped design and cubic irregular massing expressive of the various internal functions;
- the judiciously designed fenestration, whose forms vary depending on the section of the building, that testify to the architect’s concern for natural lighting;
- the openness characteristic of the building’s points of access, especially the main entrance with its open lobby at full height;
- the pitted surface of the exterior bricks, an effect that lends a special texture to the exterior that is in the style of the 1950-60s;
- the many openings, which de-compartmentalize the interior spaces;
- the treatment of the interior whose elements are designed to harmonize with the whole, including the partitions, the contrasting materials that alternate such as the brick and white plaster, and the modular composition, which often integrates wooden bookcases that complement the doors, also made of wood;
- the harmonious relationship of the building with its site and with the surrounding residential area.