The conservation of the religious patrimony is a big challenge all over the world, but not for the architects at Provencher Roy + Associes Architectes. They managed to achieve a remarkable conversion of an nineteenth century church into a museum.
The restoration
The Erskine and American Church in Montreal is an important patrimonial landmark in the city, but also a big heritage. The building has the original facade and a Byzantine-style dome overlooking the city’s urban landscape.
At the beginning, the architects restores the church’s envelope. They removed, restored and reinstalled no less than 146 stained-glass windows. The plaster ceiling inside and the mouldings and the woodwork pieces were also restored.
The museum
By adding a new pavilion to the building of the church (with whom it shares the reception and the entrance area), the architects managed to construct and develop the new Claire and Marc Bourgie Pavilion of Quebec and Canadian Art. The created a crescendo of experiences from the basement to the fourth floor of the new pavilion. As the visitor walk through, the light inside becomes more intense.
Following this restoration, the number of visitors rose spectacular!
Photo credits: Tom Arban, Alexi Hobbs, Marc Cramer, Jean-Guy Lambert
