Place-Royale: Where Quebec City Began

par Couvrette, Sébastien

Place-Royale in Quebec City is a historical and archaeological site unique in North America. Considered the birthplace of French America, it played a major role in the social and economic development of the French, and later English, St. Lawrence River colony between the 17^th and 19^th centuries. Beginning in the 1860s, competition from the Port of Montreal led to the decline of Quebec City’s port and, by extension, the Place-Royale district. In the 1940s, its state of dilapidation prompted plans for an ambitious reconstruction project that was completed in the 1970s and 1980s to restore its French colonial character. Archaeological excavations and historical research conducted during this period revealed the extraordinary heritage value of America’s first French city centre.

Article disponible en français : Place-Royale à Québec, l’origine d’une ville

An Important Historical and Archaeological Site

The extensive reconstruction work completed in Place-Royale in the 1970s and 1980s revealed architectural elements characteristic of the French Ancien Régime ^(NOTE
1). Reconstruction work was completed in parallel with archaeological excavations that uncovered a great many artefacts demonstrating the site’s long history of human occupation, first by Amerindians, then by Europeans ^(NOTE
2). The discoveries made during the work in Place-Royale yielded a treasure trove of information about its commercial and residential functions over the different periods of human occupation. The archaeological collection put together with artefacts found during the excavations contains nearly 14,000 restored and documented objects ^(NOTE
3), a historical and archaeological treasure trove that sheds light on numerous aspects of early Quebec’s material heritage and cultural practices.

The First European Presence

In 1975, the first archaeological excavations were undertaken in front of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church in search of the foundations of Champlain’s Habitation ^(NOTE
4). Additional excavations were conducted later in the 1970s and into the 1980s to explore the site further. Records and artefacts indicate that Champlain’s Habitation was more than just a trading post and storehouse for furs, provisions, arms, and munitions; it was also where the first colonists lived. Here they found shelter from inclement weather and the cold as well as from potential attacks by hostile Amerindian tribes and the British ^(NOTE
5). The artefacts and ecofacts—animal, mineral, and vegetable remains—recovered from the sedimentary layers dating from 1610 to 1630 reveal the cultural and food practices of the French at the time, who borrowed some aspects of aboriginal culture such as tobacco use. Among the numerous fragments of stoneware, earthenware, porcelain, and clay and terra cotta pipes, the archaeologists also found a lead inkstand that may have belonged to Champlain.

A Market Square

In the 1630s and 1640s, the area around Champlain’s Habitation gradually developed. Under governor Charles Huault de Montmagny, who arrived in the colony in 1636, streets and lots were laid out around Place-Royale as the settlement began to take shape. The moat surrounding the Habitation was filled in to make way for houses and commercial buildings and the Habitation itself was converted into the King’s Storehouse. Once filled in, the space in front of the storehouse became a public square. It was here that the colonial authorities posted their decrees and carried out public executions. And it was here that a market was held starting around 1640 ^(NOTE
6).

Beginning in the 1650s, freedom of trade, in effect since 1648, and the proximity of the port attracted many merchants and contributed to the city’s development. From a dozen-odd homes in the mid-17^th century, the settlement grew rapidly, leading colonial authorities to regulate construction, implement urban planning and enact laws governing residents’ behaviour ^(NOTE
7). By 1680, about 300 people were living in and around Place-Royale, more than twice as many as 15 years before.

The Fire of 1682

Most of the approximately 60 houses in the area were single-story wooden dwellings with plank or cedar shingle roofs. Homes were built adjacent to one another, separated only by party walls. Consequently, when a fire broke out in 1682, it spread quickly and grew extraordinarily intense. Despite the fire prevention measures taken by Governor Frontenac, the blaze caused considerable damage, destroying most homes ^(NOTE
8) and setting of an explosion that left the King’s Storehouse in ruins. The vacated lot would be the future site of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church, built in 1688.

In the following decades, Place-Royale would be rebuilt in keeping with planning principles intended to prevent a tragic event like the 1682 fire. Two- and even three-story houses were built partially or completely in stone with thick firewalls rising above the roofline to prevent the spread of fire, although mansard roofs were covered with cedar planks or shingles in violation of the prohibition of those materials. From that point forward, construction in Place-Royale quickly reached its limit and the district changed little until the end of the French Regime.

Rebuilding. But in the French or the English style?

During the 1759 siege of Quebec, British army bombardments destroyed the homes in Place-Royale as well as Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church, levelling everything but a few stone walls and some interior and exterior architectural elements, some of which can still be seen today. Archaeological and restoration work done on the houses starting in the 1960s uncovered numerous traces of the conflict, including bomb fragments and cannonballs. Excavations conducted on vaulted cellars where merchants’ goods were stored and on old latrines from houses in Place-Royale revealed invaluable details about the daily life of merchants and craftsmen. Some of the objects found, such as bottles of wine, fine china, and French earthenware plates and containers, suggest residents had a relatively high standard of living.

After the Conquest, Place-Royale had to be rebuilt quickly because it was an essential centre of economic activity for the entire Quebec City region. It was also home to many key players in social and economic life, such as notables and merchants. The craftsmen involved in the reconstruction efforts—master masons, carpenters, joiners, and architects— were francophones who drew from French tradition to revive the neighbourhood. So until the mid-19^th century, the architectural features of the homes in Place-Royale reflected the constraints of the confined urban environment and the traditional know-how of craftsmen of French descent rather than any particular British influence.

The new buildings were made of stone with gabled plank roofs and parged walls. They were often four stories tall. The tight quarters remained an issue despite the redevelopment of the river banks and wharfs that helped increase the commercial and residential space along the river. The size of the homes and the choice materials testified to the wealth of the Place-Royale merchants. In other parts of town, homes were generally modest, one-story wooden dwellings. The commercial function of Place-Royale was visible in the architecture of the homes, many of which had vaulted cellars and dormer hoists that were used to raise goods up from street level using a rope and pulley system so they could be stored in the attic ^(NOTE
9).

While British architecture had little influence on the appearance of Place-Royale’s buildings, British culture—spread mainly by the English merchants who outnumbered francophones in Quebec City at the turn of the 19^th century—did have an impact ^(NOTE
10). Archaeological excavations turned up many pieces of British-made crockery, such as creamware, which was strong and relatively inexpensive; jasperware; and stone china, an imitation of Chinese porcelain. Other objects revealed typically English eating habits, such as drinking tea.

Timber-Based Trade

Throughout the 19^th century, activities in the Port of Quebec centred on timber exports to Great Britain ^(NOTE
11). Due to the high demand for wood, which also drove growth of wooden shipbuilding, business was not very diversified in Quebec City, and industries and manufacturing enterprises were rare in the Place-Royale district. Merchants imported goods to provide manufactured products to the people of Quebec City ^(NOTE
12) and traders and merchants in Place-Royale modified the ground floors and façades of their homes to hang signs, install window displays, and set up shops. As there was little space, some property owners expanded upwards, adding extra floors and covering their buildings in brick—a typically British material—to harmonize their appearance ^(NOTE
13). In the late 19^th century, the face of Place-Royale gradually changed, progressively losing its Ancien Régime French features.

In the 1830s, unhealthy conditions in Place-Royale and a widespread cholera epidemic prompted some merchants and property owners to move to Upper Town. From that point forward, the district was home to mostly shopkeepers and tenants, most of whom were port workers or Irish immigrants fleeing the famine raging in Ireland. Businesses and warehouses replaced homes. Attracted by the uptick in business, financial institutions— banks, insurance companies, and even the Quebec Stock Exchange—set up near Place-Royale on Rue Saint-Pierre, further consolidating the district’s role as the city’s economic centre. However, this situation was not to last.

Due to competition from the Port of Montreal, the booming iron market, and the expanding railroad network, port activity in Quebec City, which was still centred around the timber trade, began to decline in the early 1860s ^(NOTE
14). The Place-Royale market, with its close links to the port, soon followed suit. Businesses moved out. In 1860, an imposing stone building housing the Champlain Market was opened. This covered market, built on reclaimed land in the former Cul-de-Sac port, a stone’s throw from Place-Royale, superseded once and for all what had for over 200 years been the main market in Quebec City. In 1895, a fountain was installed in the centre of Place-Royale, marking its transformation into a simple public square.

One Last Reprieve

In the early decades of the 20^th century, the development of the tourist industry made Place-Royale a prime location for hotels and restaurants. The conversion of certain homes that had maintained their French features led to architectural changes that left them with a more contemporary appearance ^(NOTE
15). With access to the area improved by tramway service, port workers deserted Place-Royale for the nearby suburbs, leaving the district’s rental properties to gradually fall into disrepair ^(NOTE
16).

Now a neighbourhood for poor families and renters rather than homeowners, Place-Royale fell into decline, blight spread, and the district grew increasingly rundown. Between 1900 and 1950, renovations to some buildings further erased the last remaining traces of the French Regime. By the mid-20^th century, Place-Royale had become so dilapidated that an ambitious revitalisation plan was developed. The plan, carried out in the 1970s and 1980s, sought to evoke Place-Royale’s French origins.

Discovering Place-Royale Today

The birthplace of urban architecture in Quebec City, Place-Royale is a historic and archaeological site unique in North America. After years of decline and neglect beginning in the late 19^th century, the district required major work, which began in the 1960s. These efforts restored the square’s French Regime architectural aesthetic. In addition to comprehensive reconstruction work, archaeological excavations turned up numerous artefacts bearing witness to the European occupation of the site. Countless pieces and fragments were found, and nearly 14,000 objects reconstructed. This extensive collection of artefacts is an indispensable reference for researchers, and gave rise to extensive documentary research. Numerous scientific reports interpreting these artefacts were published between the 1970s and 1990 by Québec’s Ministère de la culture in the series entitled Dossiers: Collection Patrimoine, published by Les Publications du Québec ^(NOTE
17). In addition, a generously illustrated 1998 work geared toward the general public, Trésors et secrets de Place-Royale, documents some 200 pieces from the collection.

Today visitors can see some of these artefacts at the Centre d’interprétation de Place-Royale. Opened in 1999, the Centre is located in Place-Royale on the site of two historic homes, of which significant vestiges still remain ^(NOTE
18). Material and intangible heritage is showcased here through permanent exhibitions featuring a model of the architectural transformations of the homes over the centuries, artefacts illustrating life under the French Regime and the presence of Amerindians dating to nearly 3,000 years BCE, as well as reproductions of Quebec building interiors from the 17^th through the 19^th centuries. The Centre also holds events with actors playing the roles of historic figures and tradespeople. The Centre also shows a 3D film on the adventures of Samuel de Champlain. Through these museum displays and new communication technologies, the Centre d’interprétation de Place-Royale gives the public access to a rich collection of artefacts that provides a window onto the life and times of the people who called this place home over the centuries.

Sébastien Couvrette
Historian, Université Laval