Maison Louise-Pariseau

Well-off farmer Aumont settled in the village to enjoy his retirement “like a bourgeois”, according to the saying and custom of that time. The house is a single dwelling of 16 rooms described as part of both Boomtown and Four Square architectural styles.

Boomtown architectural features:

- Cubic or rectangular-shaped massing, typically two-storey high, close to the ground;

- Flat or low-pitched roof leaning towards the rear;

- Few protruding structures except for a canopy-covered porch or an upper-floor balcony;

- Wood clapboard or brick siding;

- Openings evenly distributed;

- Large-paned casement windows and possibly small roof windows;

- Ornamentation mostly in the upper section of the facade, using cornice, parapet or brick designs; 

- Other subtle ornamentation features: architraves, corner boards, brick platbands, etc.

Four Square architectural features: 

- Cubic-shaped massing, square ground plan, two-storey high, slightly stilted above the ground;

- Flat roof, or low-pitched pavilion roof covered with traditional sheet metal;

- Various exterior sidings: bricks, wooden boards, cedar shingles, parging and other light sidings;

- Covered porch in the front, upper-floor balcony is common;

- Hipped, gabled, triangular-shaped or shed dormers, sometimes replaced by gables;

- Openings evenly distributed;

- Casement windows with large panes or transoms, or hung windows;

- Ornamentation varying in accordance with the owner’s social status.

Its simple shape and facade crowned by a parapet are borrowed from the Boomtown architecture. The Maison Louise-Pariseau also has some features of a Four Square house; […] it has the two-storey massing and the symmetrical composition of the facade openings.

The architectural decor, as well as the quality of the facade’s door frames, impart this village house the impressive personality of a mansion.

Also, the Maison Louise-Pariseau is of patrimonial interest because of its ethnological value. It is a witness of the rural customs of yesteryear. At the time of their retirement, well-off farmers transfer their farm, usually to a family member.

The Maison Louise-Pariseau is built in 1905 for Joseph Aumont, a retired farmer, and his wife Céline Lépine, a former teacher. At the time of Joseph Aumont’s passing, his daughter Salomé, with husband Louis-Philippe Pariseau and their three children, are living near the paternal home. Therefore, Céline Lépine, Joseph Aumont’s widow, invites the Aumont-Pariseau couple to move in with her. The couple raises their 6 children there.Aside from the short time notary Pariseau has his office there, the house is always used as a home.

The Maison Louise-Pariseau (named after one of Aumont-Pariseau’s daughters) is recognized in 2008. Today, the house has kept most of its original features, such as the triple windows with colonnettes and the front double door. Porches were renovated a few years ago, in accordance with their original style, but the consoles supporting the side part are originals.
 

Gouvernement du Québec Culture et Communications Québec, Maison Louise-Pariseau, Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec. 2013.

Ville de Trois-Rivières, Histoire et patrimoine – patrimoine architectural, s.d.