Baie-Saint-Paul built heritage tour
On foot or by bike, discover the town of Baie-Saint-Paul from a different angle by letting yourself be guided by the most beautiful houses that tell the story of its history.Each house has been reproduced by a local painter.
Start your tour in the northern part of rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste, on the other side of the rivière du Bras, at the former Hercule Fortin general store, closed since 1981. Quadrangular in shape, the result of several extensions since its construction in 1870, the building was once a meeting place for all villagers.originally built in the traditional Québécois style of the 1850s, but with a second storey and an adjoining building reminiscent of its former summer kitchen.
Turning right on rue Saint-Adolphe, you'll find another traditional Québécois house, typical of colonial architecture, this one with plastered, room-on-room framing, topped by a large, stone roof.It once stood on the edge of the fields, before the nearby Gariépy mill on rue Tremblay accelerated the development of the neighborhood. A water mill used to grind grain, card wool and produce cedar shingles, the building was rebuilt from the original walls after a fire to become an apartment building.
Rue Sainte-Anne
A little further south, where Rue Saint-Jean-Baptiste becomes Rue Sainte-Anne, on the other side of the traffic lights, you'll find the interpretation panel at 11 Rue Sainte-Anne, recounting the history of Place de l'Église, just behind you, with its church, presbytery, former "normal school", former courthouse and, in front of you, the house that served as studio to the famous sisters and artists Blanche and Yvonne Bolduc.
Still on rue Sainte-Anne, you may be surprised to see one of Charlevoix's highly symmetrical American vernacular houses, inspired by New England, also room-on-room and with cedar shingles. Then right on the small dead-end Saint-Gabriel street, you'll come to the former Baie-Saint-Paul creamery, which ceased production in 1966.
Retrace your steps a little and turn left onto rue Ambroise-Fafard, today a commercial thoroughfare, or right onto rue Saint-Joseph, one of the city's first streets and a pleasant stroll along the Rivière du Gouffre.As you walk along Rivière du Gouffre to the river, you'll discover both the region's typical mansard-roofed houses and others of colonial, urban or Victorian inspiration.
Hidden treasures
To round off your stroll in style, hop on a bike or a car and follow rue Ambroise-Fafard to the end, where you'll find a unique cottage and regency-style house. Then turn left onto Chemin de la Pointe, where you'll be charmed by a number of 19th-century houses, including one in the rural neoclassical style and another typical of the sailors' homes of yesteryear.
Two final areas are well worth a visit: first, terrasse La Rémi, on the street that houses the "monumental" Anglo-Norman house of Roger Bouchard, the late Rémy miller, Roger Bouchard, and finally Chemin Saint-Laurent, an idyllic row where six of the imposing colorful houses facing the mountains have a combined history of over 200 years.