Why the Laval Pen should not be demolished, in order to make way for condos.

 

Parks Canada information on the Laval Penitentiary

Address: 160 Montee Saint-Francois, Laval, Quebec

Recognition Statute: Historic Sites and Monuments Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. H-4)

Designation Date: 1990-02-23

Dates: 1873 to 1989 (Significant)

Other Names: Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary (Designation Name)

Description of Historic Place  A monumental stone prison with a severe, forbidding presence, Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary National Historic Site of Canada is located in Laval, Quebec. Opened in 1873 in a facility previously constructed as a reformatory, it was Canada's second federal penitentiary, and served as the country's sole francophone correctional facility from 1873 until it closed in 1989. The designation refers to the penitentiary buildings on the legal lot.

Heritage Value Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1990. It was designated because of its important place in the social history of Quebec. Originally built in 1873, most of the present institution was constructed in the 1930s and 1940s. The architecture of the original facility, which planned for only an administration building and a cellblock, was unimpressive, and the penitentiary has been altered so significantly that it has lost its original Greek cross cell block configuration.

The heritage value of the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary National Historic Site lies in its witness to over a century of criminal justice in Canada in general and, particularly, in Quebec. Heritage value resides in the recognizable public presence of the institution which includes its exterior appearance, its site and setting. It can also be found in the relics of life within the inside walls. Source: Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Minutes, 1990.

Character-Defining Elements Key elements that contribute to the heritage character of the site include the high, surrounding stone wall which provides the distinctive public face of the institution; the penitentiaries large scale, cohesive form, and distinctive flat-topped profile broken only by guard towers with turrets.

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Directory of Federal Real Property website. Laval Penitentiary, Property Number 12287. Record Created On: February 10th, 2005. Record Modified On: November 22, 2024.

Organization: Correctional Service of Canada

Use (s): Law Enforcement and Corrections

Interest: Crown Owned

Address: Montee Saint-Francois

Municipality: Laval, Quebec

Land Area: (ha) 23.2000

Buildings: 24

Floor Area: (sq. m.) 17, 461

Heritage Buildings:

• 101024 - Main Cellblock
• 101029 - Main Cellblock
• 101030 - Main Cellblock
• 101034 - Main Cellblock
• 101038 - Towers
• 101039 - Towers
• 101040 - Towers
• 101041 - Towers
  

The Main Cellblock is located within the walls of the compound of Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary. It is an imposing, stone structure built of enormous blocks of limestone with details including tall arched windows, cut-stone lug sills and voussoirs at the north wing. As well, a convex, mansard roof, topped by a roofed monitor, is visible from outside the compound. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.

The Guard Towers The Towers are prominently located at the four corners of the enclosing walls at the Saint-Vincent-de-Paul Penitentiary. Each of the four towers is comprised of a concrete shaft veneered with dressed stone and surmounted by a concrete platform with a circular frame guardhouse capped by a steep octagonal roof. The guardhouses open onto the walkways along the top of the enclosing walls, either directly or by metal stairs. The designation is confined to the footprint of the towers.