Architecturally, Ottawa is overflowing with buildings that are representative of the historical influence of Francophones.
Some houses located on St. Patrick Street are dating from the 19th century and are now classified as federal heritage because of their architecture.
At 138 St. Patrick Street, the Rochon Residence, was erected in 1832. It is a one-and-a-half story, room-on-room building that was found in the Lowertown area of Ottawa. The architecture is typical for the period that it is considered traditional.
The original owner, Flavien Rochon, was a woodcarver who carved the stalls and sanctuary of the Notre-Dame Basilica in Ottawa.
At 142-44, the Valade Residence was built in 1866. It belonged to Dr. François-Xavier Valade, an eminent physician who, in 1885, treated Louis Riel (Canadian politician, leader of the Métis people of the Canadian Prairies, and founder of the province of Manitoba).
This stone building contains 2 1/2 stories with a gable roof that includes chimneys on the ends. This building perfectly blends British and French-Canadian architectural traditions. You will note the high dormers are very representative of English architecture of the time, while the asymmetry of the volumes, the white cantilevered balcony, and the casement windows are more French-Canadian in influence.
At 150, you will discover “La Maison Rochon” with its typical Victorian architecture. This building was named after Alphonse Rochon, also a cabinetmaker at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Ottawa. The building is now home to the Galerie Jean-Claude Bergeron which is a great place to meet Franco-Ontarian artists.
Jean-Claude Bergeron is a professional artist engraver who also founded the group Pro-Arts Inc, a known group among artists in Ottawa.
Tin House
Take advantage of being in this part of town to visit the Tin House at the corner of Sussex and Murray.
This work is integrated into the façade of one of the buildings in the square.
It is in fact an artwork made by Honoré Foisy, a tinsmith living in the 1860s. He patiently stamped and pressed metal sheets on rosettes, pediments, and other supports typical of the houses of the time.
In 1961, the house that supported this work was demolished, but the façade was painstakingly restored and rebuilt by the artist Art Price.