Brief History
Hotel Cap-Diamant
39 Ste-Genevieve Ave.
This hotel is located within one of the oldest house of its street. It was in 1826, that Joseph-François Perreault had this imposing stone household, initially measuring 40 feet of frontage and 32 feet in depth, constructed. In its initial state, the house was roughcast and covered with a two sided slopped roof, with dormers. The upper floor windows and the entrance porch are original house elements, dating back to its construction.
Between 1844 and 1873, the property belonged to the Desbarats family, who were printers in Quebec, Montreal and Ottawa. It was to finance the first illustrated daily paper in the world, the New-York Daily Graphic, that Georges-Edouard Desbarats sold the family house to his father-in-law, Joseph-Noël Bossé, a judge and senator.
In 1919, the house facade was covered with bricks. The ground level windows probably date back to this period. The porch was lowered which allowed for the enlargement of living space on the ground floor. As for the mansard roof, it was probably installed earlier, before 1900, the give a "modernised" image to the house and enlarge its living space.
Inside, the house has kept elements of its past; looking older than its exterior. The original plan still exists: a large central hall giving access to rooms symmetrically laid around it. In some of the rooms, beautiful old fireplaces are still visible.
Researcher: Elisabeth Bossert
Text: Denyse Légaré
historic pictures
200e de Québec
Artillerie Royal
Bal du 60e régiment
Nouveau parlement de Québec
Les portes de St-Louis
The Jesuits Barracks
La visite du Vice Regal
