People:
- Groupe de recherche sur Montréal (archive creator)
Title:
Groupe de recherche sur Montréal fonds
Form:
archives
Level of archival description:
Fonds
Extent and medium:
- Approximately 40 l.m. textual documentation
Approximately 2000 maps
1 model
Scope and content:
The Groupe de recherche sur Montréal fonds, 1975-1997, documents the Groupe de recherche sur Montréal’s (GRM) extensive research on the development of pre and post-industrial Montreal’s built environment. In addition to this extensive collection of research materials, the fonds also includes administrative files relating to the GRM’s everyday administration and management.
Materials in this collection document the research activities of the GRM. From 1976 to 1986, the Groupe de recherche sur Montréal researched into Montreal’s grey stone architecture between 1730 and 1920. From 1978 and onwards, the GRM’s research efforts were concentrated on understanding property holdings and land use in Montreal between 1720 and 1805. In 1989, the research group broadened its investigation and inquired into the socio-economic processes that shaped the urban development and built heritage of Montreal from 1642 to 1805.
Research materials found in this fonds originate from both North America and Europe and range from Montreal’s founding as a fortified town in 1642 to the early years of the 20th century. Records primarily relate to and can be grouped together by historic quartiers (also known as boroughs) such as Quartier Saint-Laurent, Quartier Saint-Louis and Quartier Saint-Jacques.
Textual records consist of photocopies of notarized deeds, tax rolls, court documents, building contracts, land survey proceedings, floor plans, censuses, annual reports, and newspaper clippings. Detailed inventories of buildings (including the names and roles of artisans involved in their construction), landowners, tenants, notables, professionals, and civil and military personnel are also included in this collection of textual records. Additionally, this fonds contains extensive analyses of these primary source materials as well as documentation that outlines the research methodologies utilized by the GRM.
Administrative records include contracts, annual reports, correspondence, budgets, personnel files, meeting minutes as well as notes, drafts and bibliographies for various GRM publications. The fonds also consists of materials relating to the GRM’s 1992 exhibition entitled “Opening the Gates of the Eighteenth Century Montreal/ Montréal ville fortifiée du XVIIIe siècle” – these materials consist of meeting minutes, correspondence, room designs, curatorial statements, press clippings, guides, and public programs.
This fonds also contains various topographical, physical and cadastral maps that trace the changing morphology of Montreal’s built environment since the 17th century. Topographical and physical maps of Quebec and other cities in the province are also included in this fonds. More specifically, these maps illustrate the locations and boundaries of Montreal’s historic buildings, quartiers, faubourgs and fortifications. These maps also trace the changes and development of land-use, building types, building-use, landowners, land value, and occupants in various quartiers and faubourgs. Several maps also indicate the creation dates and materials used for the construction of various historic buildings in Montreal.
The archive includes a model of an aerial view of Old Montreal, Cité du Havre, l'île Sainte-Hélène, L'île Notre-Dame and Longueil.
Arrangement:
This fonds has not yet been arranged.
Administrative history:
Le Groupe de recherche sur les bâtiments en pierres grises de Montréal (GRBPG) is a research group that was founded by Phyllis Lambert in 1973. As the GRPBG, research was mainly conducted by André Bernier, Hélène Charlebois- Dumais, Raymonde Gauthier, André Giroux, Danielle Pigeon, Alan Stewart and Daniel Thibault. In 1987, Le Groupe de recherche sur les bâtiments en pierres grises de Montréal was re-established by the Canadian Centre for Architecture and renamed the Groupe de recherche sur Montréal (GRM). The GRM’s committee consisted of Alan Stewart, Denyse Beaugrand-Champagne, Mario Lalancette, Russ Mitchell, Léon Robichaud and Jennifer Waywell.
Major works completed by the GRM include essays, articles, presentations, videos and an exhibition. In 1992, the Canadian Centre for Architecture presented “Opening the Gates of the Eighteenth Century Montreal,” an exhibition curated by Phyllis Lambert and Alan Stewart. In that same year, the exhibition was awarded a Certificate of Merit for Regional History (Quebec) by the Canadian Historical Association and the Paul E. Buchanan Award by the Vernacular Architecture Forum. The GRM also published a collection of 6 essays entitled Opening the Gates of Eighteenth Century Montreal and produced two videos in collaboration with the University of Toronto’s Center for Landscape Research and Concordia University’s Department of Education. These videos are entitled “The Fortifications of Montreal” and “Changing Land Use.” In collaboration with the Archives nationale de Québec, the GRM launched a database called Adhemar in 1997. This database enabled research data collected from historic notarial deeds, vital statistics, judicial records, seigneurial records and colonial documents to be made accessible online. Adhemar can be accessed through the following web link: http://www.remparts.info/adhemar_php/.
Conditions governing access:
- Open for use by qualified researchers. Access by appointment only.
Conditions governing reproduction:
- For copyright information or permission to reproduce material from the fonds, please contact the CCA (reproductions@cca.qc.ca).
Immediate source of acquisition or transfer:
- Gift of the Groupe de recherche sur Montréal in 1988.
Custodial history:
- The Canadian Centre for Architecture acquired the Groupe de recherche sur Montréal fonds in 1988. The archive was received in 1992 with subsequent additions in 1993, 1994, 1997 and 1999.
Archivist's note:
- This fonds has not yet been arranged. A fonds level description was created by Patricia Di Palma on November 24, 2016.
Location:
Montréal
Island of Montréal
Québec
Canada
Credit line:
When citing the collection as a whole, use the following citation:
Groupe de recherche sur Montréal fonds
Collection Centre Canadien d'Architecture/
Canadian Centre for Architecture, Montréal
When citing specific collection material, please refer to the object’s specific credit line.
