The history of the castle
The Château du Faubourg is a fine example of the French Second Empire Napoleon III architecture. A famous architect Monsieur Joseph Ferdinand Peachy who was the president of the Quebec Architects Association designed it in the 1880's.
The Dussault's, a very predominant and wealthy family, commissioned Monsieur Peachy to design and build a Château that would reflect their status in Quebec City and Canadian society. Monsieur Francois-Xiavier Dussault et Madame Adelaide Houde Dussault were the owner of the Houde-Dussault Tobacco co. founded by her father in 1841. A few decased later, the company became the Imperial Tobacco Company of Canada.
The couple decided to build their French Château on a property located in the Faubourg Saint-Jean Baptiste where their factories were located. No need to mentioned that the family played an important role in the economic and social development of the Faubourg Saint-Jean Baptiste and Quebec City. It took over two years to build the mansion with the help of carpenters and craftsmen from all over the world.
The Dussault Family was, during that period, one of the wealthiest families in Canada. The newspaper L'Evenement wrote that when Monsieur Dussault died in 1891, his wife Adelaide became one of the wealthiest women in the country. The population even called her the Regente (like a Queen) because of the importance of her assets. After her death in 1895, the newspapers claimed that no match could be found to describe her imposing and lavished funeral.
After her death the Château would pass to the hands of her son Joseph-Ernest. At his death his son Adjutor inherited the property. At the death of Adjutor's wife, Marie-Emilie, in 1940, she gave the property to a religious community called les Soeurs de Jeanne d'Arc.
For many years after, the Château passed to the hands of many owners who converted this big property into apartment buildings. In 1999 the current owners of the Château acquired the property in order to restore it and bring back its glory. The family is very meticulous about the authenticity of the restoration and understands that many years of work is a head of them but the results are worth to seeing.
LONG LIFE TO THE CHÂTEAU DU FAUBOURG!