If buildings could speak… - A historical and architectural tour of Vaudreuil-Dorion

 

DORION AND VAUDREUIL-STATION

Arts and Crafts style home built before 1923. Comedian, producer, and well-known radio host Guy Mauffette lived in this house for many years (76 Brodeur Street). © Bernard Bourbonnais – Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, 2017.
Cottage with facade gabled-dormer built before 1888 (66 Trestler Street). © Bernard Bourbonnais – Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, 2017.
Rectangular pavilion roof house built between 1909 and 1913 for François-Samuel McKay (39 Adèle Street). The house was recovered with brick after 1936. © Bernard Bourbonnais – Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, 2017.
Cottages with gabled walls as facade, 46 Trestler Street (left) and 52 Trestler Street (right). They were built for lawyer and politician Christophe-Alphonse Geoffrion before 1898. © Bernard Bourbonnais – Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, 2017.
Très-Sainte-Trinité Church built in 1950 from plans drawn by René Charbonneau and his son, Gérard (Charbonneau et Charbonneau firm) (145 Saint-Charles Avenue). © Bernard Bourbonnais – Musée régional de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, 2017.
Details of Dorion’s insurance plan by the Chas. E. Goad Company in August 1913. © Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
Du Club Avenue around 1930. © Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, CP 021731 CON.
Vacationers in Vaudreuil Bay around 1890. © Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, P155,S1,SS2,D50e.
Merchant Jean-Baptiste-Adolphe Valois and his family in front of their home, around 1920 (95 Adèle Street). This house also served as presbytery following the construction of the Très-Sainte-Trinité Church. © Centre d’archives de Vaudreuil-Soulanges, Centenaire de Dorion Fund, M01b,1.47.
Branch of National Bank of Canada in Dorion in June 1940 (105 Saint-Charles Avenue). © Collection patrimoniale Banque Nationale, BCN 428.

Interesting places nearby

This area in the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion experienced remarkable development due to railway construction between 1854 and 18561. A town center formed around the Grand Trunk (Canadian National) and then Ontario & Québec Railway (Canadian Pacific) stations. Former agricultural lands were divided into large lots on which prestigious residences belonging to wealthy vacationers were built. The streets, lined with rows of mature trees, formed an orthogonal grid leading to the shores of the Ottawa River. Named in honour of one of its illustrious residents, Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, the City of Dorion was incorporated on December 30, 1890 and experienced rapid growth. Rue de la Gare and Saint-Charles Avenue became home to many shops and services. Two new parishes were established (Très-Sainte-Trinité and Saint-Jean-Baptiste). At first it was a village, then a city (1916), and later on, in 1994, Dorion merged with Vaudreuil to become the City of Vaudreuil-Dorion.