Description of the attraction
Papineau's House (also known as John Campbell's House) is an old mansard mansion in the heart of Old Montreal. The house is located at 440 Bonsecourt Street, south of Notre Dame Street and is one of the most famous architectural and historical landmarks of the city of Montreal.
In 1779, Commissioner for Indian Affairs in Montreal, John Campbell, purchased a piece of land on Bonsecourt Street from the Papineau family and in 1785 built a stone mansion on the site of an old wooden house. In 1809, the widow of John Campbell sold the house to the son of the previous owner, Joseph Papineau, and in 1914 it became the property of his son, the famous Canadian politician Louis-Joseph Papineau, after whom, in fact, the house later got its name.
In 1831-1832, the house was rebuilt and extensively expanded. As a result of the lowering of the street level, the basement was almost completely raised above the ground. The building was completed to the left, close to the next house, leaving on this side only an arched passage leading to the backyard. The passage was made wide enough so that, if necessary, a carriage could drive into the courtyard. The central entrance was moved to the right. During the same period, in order to hide the sharp contrast between the old and the new structure, the neoclassical facade of the building was completely clad in imitation stone wood. The interior of the house has also undergone significant changes.
Louis-Joseph Papineau lived in the house on Bonsecourt Street until his exile in 1837. Returning to Canada in the second half of the 40s, Papineau lived for several more years in his Montreal home, after which he moved to his new estate in Montebello (Quebec).
For the next hundred-odd years, Papino's House housed various hotels, as well as a restaurant, laundry and hairdressing salon. In order to please the tenants in 1875-1885, the architecture of the house underwent changes again, this time, turning into an ordinary four-storey building with a flat roof. Journalist Eric McLean bought the house in 1960. It was he who conducted a thorough research of old drawings, photographs of the interior and returned the house to its appearance from the times of Louis-Joseph Papineau.
On November 28, 1968, Papino's House was designated a National Historic Landmark of Canada.
