DND putting Sewell House and St. Louis barracks up for sale
Peter Black, Local Journalism Initiative reporter
peterblack@qctonline.com
More than four years after the Department of National Defence (DND) declared it as “operationally surplus,” the future of the historic Sewell House on Rue St. Louis is still unknown. Also declared surplus is the St. Louis Barracks building behind Sewell House, on Rue D’Auteuil.
DND spokesperson Kened Sadiku told the QCT, “DND must complete Indigenous and local community consultations and complete the priority circulation with other levels of government and Indigenous groups before making a decision on the future of these properties.”
According to a DND document, the properties were declassified on Aug. 20, which triggered “the divestment process.”
The overall size of the property is 3,934 square feet, and according to the new city evaluation role, Sewell House is valued at $3.3 million.
Both buildings have federal heritage classification, which Sadiku said, means “the new owner[s] of the properties will be responsible for maintaining and preserving their heritage value.”
The St. Louis Barracks were built in 1856 as an armoury and artillery storage space, then expanded into stables and dormitories in 1887. They were used as the offices of the Royal Canadian Engineers until 1998, when the building became vacant. The building is protected because of its history as military infrastructure and its architectural importance. Sewell House has seen a lot of history since it was built in 1804 and occupied for several years by its namesake, Jonathan Sewell, chief justice of what was then Lower Canada. Parks Canada’s description of the house notes: “The original owner, Jonathan Sewell, may have been involved in the design, which placed the home within extensive grounds he owned through inheritance from his father-in-law, the former Chief Justice of Lower Canada William Smith.”
“In 1808, he became Chief Justice and Chairman of the Executive Council. In 1854, his estate sold the house to the Crown. The buildings were then inhabited by the officers of the Quebec Garrison Club, served as offices of the lieutenant governor and the Post Office Department and also as a school.”
The two-and-a-half storey building is still used as an officer’s residence. One former resident, QCT journalist Shirley Nadeau, lived in the lower half of the building for five years. She commented, “The rooms are enormous – the kitchen measured 26 feet long – and ceilings are 14 feet high on the first two floors.”
The house was of such dimensions, according to biographies of Sewell, to accommodate the large family he had with his wife Henrietta, which numbered 16 children.
The city’s inventory of architecture describes the building as “a fine example of the development of the Upper Town of Quebec City in the early 19th century under British rule. It evokes the establishment of the wealthy administrative class that chose the Upper Town during the boom and development of the area.”
Both the barracks and Sewell House are adjacent to the Quebec Garrison Club National Historic Site.
DND spokesperson Andrée- Anne Poulin told the QCT in an email: “Through pre- circulation, early expression of interest has come up from various groups from within the community.”
She added, “It’s important to note that the analysis required for divesting a property is intensive and thorough as described in the Treasury Board’s directive on the management of real property. These projects take an average of three to five years to complete. We take this deliberate, considered approach to ensure we consider the full value of these properties and make an informed decision.”