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PrintArchitectural Splendor: The Auberge-Saint Antoine
The multi-million dollar restoration of the auberge and the historical buildings revealed more than layers of dirt, dust and grime. The process unveiled three centuries of history, from 1608 when Samuel de Champlain discovered Quebec City extending into the 19th century. It turned into the largest archeological dig ever recorded in North America.
Victor Diaz Lamich
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to stay in a hotel that resembled a museum, where you would be surrounded by ancient artifacts, including a cannon unearthed during an eight year archaeological dig on the hotel’s grounds? Picture that hotel set inside a row of beautifully restored, 18th- and 19th-century brick and stone buildings, with all the modern luxuries discreetly retrofitted. Furnish this vision with priceless antiques, set it in Quebec City’s historic Old Port and there you have the Auberge-Saint Antoine.
In the late 17th century the neighborhood where the auberge now stands was a busy port for importing and exporting merchandise via the St. Lawrence River. The Dauphine gun battery was constructed in 1709 to defend the city, and it was here that, in 1725, mason and architect Jean Maillou built the area’s first house.
John Challis owned the enormous 1822 stone warehouse that is now the property’s award winning restaurant Panache. In the late 19th century his son-in-law James Hunt, a master sail maker and wine importer, built his house, the Maison Hunt wing of the auberge, over the foundation of the Maillou house.
Owned since 1991 by Llewellyn Price, scion of a Quebec financial dynasty dating back 200 years, the Auberge-Saint Antoine started as a boutique bed and breakfast. Wanting to salvage significant pieces of Quebec City’s 400-year history, Price purchased the stone warehouse and the Hunt house.
The multi-million dollar restoration of the auberge and the historical buildings revealed more than layers of dirt, dust and grime. The process unveiled three centuries of history, from 1608 when Samuel de Champlain discovered Quebec City extending into the 19th century. It turned into the largest archaeological dig ever recorded in North America, involving Laval University experts who discovered 5,000 artifacts, including a cannon and cannonballs from the siege of 1759 still in their original crates.
On display inside the auberge are 700 of the historic artifacts from the dig, many of them set into dramatic back-lit dioramas in the lobby and others decorating the walls of the six floors above. Outside each guestroom are fragments of ancient china in glass cases. Imbedded in the bedside tables are more recovered shards of glass and earthenware. The writing desks in the rooms are made out of 40-foot long, two-foot wide pine timbers rescued from one of the historical buildings. A 300-year old oak tree became the reception desk in the main salon and remnants of the Dauphine gun battery make up the walls of the main structure.
A short walk through the Old Port brings you to a myriad of antique shops, art galleries, cafés, restaurants, and museums, including The Museum of Civilization, the Naval Museum of Quebec and the Naval Reserve of Canada, and the Place Royale, settled by Champlain in 1608 and the oldest establishment in Canada. The highlight of this neighborhood is Notre-Dame-des-Victoires Church built in 1687. Not to be missed are Quartier Petit Champlain with its open air market and artist workshops, and St. Paul Street lined with antique dealers, art galleries, boutiques, and cafes.
The Auberge-Saint Antoine is the Price family’s way of keeping alive, restoring and preserving the history of Quebec City and the Old Port.
Check it Out!
Auberge Saint-Antoine
8 rue Saint-Antoine
Quebec, Canada G1K 4C9 1-418-266-3500 1-888-692-2211
www.aubergesaintantoine.com
Museum of Civilization
85 rue Dalhousie
Quebec, Canada G1K 7A6 1-418-643-2158 1-866-710-8031
www.mcq.org
Naval Museum of Quebec
170 rue Dalhousie
Quebec, Canada G1K 8M7 1-418-694-5387
www.navalmuseumofquebec.com
Place Royale
Center of Interpretation
27 rue Notre Dame
Quebec, Canada G1K 4E9 1-418-646-9072
www.mcq.org
