Description of Historic Place

Justine Arsenault Building is a two-storey wood-frame store commercial structure located on Acadie Road, in Cap-Pelé.

Heritage Value

Justine Arsenault Building is designated a Local Historic Place for being the second oldest commercial building in the Cap-Pelé area, for its association with Justine Arsenault and for its association with for the various businesses that have been located there.

The Justine Arsenault Building is recognized for its association with the clothing store owned by Justine Arsenault. A native of Grande-Digue, she settled in Cap-Pelé around 1894, becoming one of the first Acadian businesswomen in the area. The following year, she bought this building, Ben LeBlanc’s shoe repair business at the time, and moved it beside the parish cemetery, where she transformed it into a shop. Purchased by John Forest, the building was turned into a wheelwright shop where farm wagons were made and repaired. In the early 1930s, the business also included a funeral home. During the 1930s, the building was converted into a garage and service station, the first in the region. In 1957, after being in business for half a century, the Forest family sold the building. Since 1970, the garage and service station have been owned by the same proprietor. The building currently has a gable roof with a boomtown façade, reflecting its continued evolution as as commercial space. Part of the original Justine Arsenault Building can be found as northeast part of the façade and east wall.

Source : Village of Cap-Pelé Municipal Building, Historic Places file no. 3

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe Justine Arsenault Building include:
- location on the main street in Cap-Pelé;
- northeast part of the façade and east wall dating back to 1886;
- gable roof;
- boomtown façade.