Saint-Jean-Baptiste Neighborhood & Beyond

Since we're on a long holiday, we've decided to thoroughly explore the various quartiers. Today's outing began at the Saint-Jean-Baptiste neighborhood with its steep-sloped streets, colorful houses piled one on top of the other, and its fun-loving and welcoming character.


Originally a faubourg of Old Québec (a faubourg is a district located outside city walls) from the 17th century, Saint-Jean-Baptiste has always been a working-class district, inhabited by craftsmen and merchants. The area was ravaged by fire in the 19th century, but quickly bounced back and is considered "the festive neighborhood par excellence!"
The buildings here are uniquely cool. This historic building was built in 1898 for the tinsmith contractor Paul Parent. The castle-style recalls the presence of the military authorities who previously rented the land in this sector. It is one of few buildings in the neighborhood to have façades on three different streets.


Some windowfronts demand a pause!
Many cafés line the main rue which gave us a delicious opportunity to fuel up.
There are only independent librairies that I have seen. I love their intimate feel. I so wanted this book but Steve said, "Non. Our grandbabies are beyond it."
A second Little Free Library was spotted in this quartier. Fun.
As we strolled, we came upon this beautiful building. "The Gérard-Morisset Pavilion is a Beaux-Arts style cultural building erected between 1927 and 1931. The building is made up of a main body to which are attached two huge rectangular wings. The entire building, which forms a “T” plan, has four levels and is topped with a flat roof. A monumental entrance with colonnade and pediment with a historiated tympanum, placed in the center of the façade, makes the building unique. The architectural composition and the decorative program draw as much on the neoclassical repertoire as on the elements of the initial vocation of the establishment. The Gérard-Morisset pavilion, which is part of the Musée National des Beaux-arts du Québec (MNBAQ), is located on the Plains of Abraham." Sadly, we won't be able to go inside as it is closed for construction. Darn it.

The park, adjacent to the museum , had numerous sculptures to discover.



The foliage was a work of art as well.



Our stroll took us to the Plains of Abraham, a huge and very historic area within the Battlefields Park. It was established in 1908 to preserve the site where the Battle of the Plains of Abraham took place in 1759. That battle was part of the French and Indian War (1754–63), which preceded, then became a theater of, the Seven Years' War (1756–63). On that date, British soldiers under the command of General Wolfe, climbed the steep cliff under the city in darkness, surprising and defeating the French, through a single deadly volley of musket fire, causing the battle to be over within 30 minutes. Both Wolfe and the French commander, the Marquis de Montcalm, died of their wounds, but the battle left control of Québec City to the British, eventually allowing them to take control of Canada the following year. A huge turning point in New France's history happened right here.
This cannon is from the French flagship Le Prudent, which was captured and burned at Louisbourg in 1758. Wow.


In Old Québec, its fortified walls and the breathtaking view of the river from the Dufferin Terrace, are the first things people notice. Next it is undoubtedly the stairs that leave an unforgettable memory for visitors (I know it has for me). From its foundation, the city was spread over two levels. The longest set of stairs is this, the Cap-Blanc staircase, built in 1868. Laid out on a slope prone to erosion, the wooden structure was repaired many times and rebuilt in 1894 by the architect Charles Baillairgé. It allowed workers to go up to work in the munitions factories set up on the Plains of Abraham. It has 398 steps and I almost died just doing the 83 we had to accomplish to get to our destination. Whoa.
The most picturesque is undoubtedly the Promenade du Gouverneur Staircase, which connects Dufferin Terrace to the Plains of Abraham. "While heading towards the terrace, the visitor can admire, at leisure, a grandiose landscape. Those expecting a steady descent of the 310 steps will be in for a surprise, as they will take long horizontal sections and even uphill flights!"

Rest for the weary was attained at Pub St-Patrick.
It was here that we made new friends with Sarah and her mom, Catherine. Steve and I mistook Sarah as an employee. We hit it off instantly, as she is super friendly and extraverted. What is extra cool is that she lives in Sydney and we plan to meet again when Steve and I venture there in 2025. Sarah, among many other things, is a published author. What a fun connection.
We walk by this amazing building often on our way home. Isn't it stunning? Completed in 1930, the Price Building is the first skyscraper worthy of the name in Québec. With the central tower of the Château Frontenac and that of the Parliament Building as its only rivals, the building dominated the landscape of the upper town for nearly 40 years.
In 1927, brothers John Herbert and Arthur Clifford Price decided to erect the head office of their logging and wood processing company on the Québec promontory. They retained the services of Montreal architects Ross and MacDonald, known for having designed several prestigious buildings. The cornerstone was laid on October 29, 1929. At the time of its inauguration, the city and the company felt the effects of the economic crisis hard.
Located on a narrow plot 79 feet wide, the building soars to a height of 269 ft. Modeled on New York skyscrapers, it takes the form of a ziggurat, a stepped pyramidal temple. This gradual withdrawal of volumes lightens the silhouette of the building, whose profile remains imposing.
On a formal level, the architects opted for ornamentation in the Art Deco style, in order to symbolize the modernism of the company. The façade is embellished with pilasters, palm leaf pinnacles and medallions carved with Native American heads and floral motifs. The long uninterrupted pillars and the setback of the windows accentuate the verticality of the building. The high copper roof discreetly recalls that of the central tower of the Château Frontenac.


The entrance hall serves as a showcase for the company founded in 1816 by William Price. A monumental portal, with large bronze doors, gives access to the ground floor. Inside, the coffered ceiling, accented with gold leaf, is lit by frosted glass chandeliers. The polished travertine walls are decorated with bas-reliefs representing the various stages in the transformation of wood into paper. The Art Deco ornaments are enriched with forest-inspired designs, including pine cones.

Although completed successfully, the building turned out to be little more than an extravagant nail in Price Brothers' coffin. The Great Depression pushed the company to the brink of bankruptcy, and the Price Family lost both control of the business and most of its fortune. So while initially the symbol of a logging empire, the Price Building remains an architectural jewel of Québec and a beacon for us to find our apartment. Wild.

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