Unmissable when driving on Royal Avenue, Château Richard stands out among the houses of the seigneurial regime dotting the landscape of Côte-de-Beaupré, near Quebec. Imposing, even gloomy in the half-light, bad tongues go so far as to say that it is haunted.
Designed by the Lévisian architect Eugène-Michel Talbot, to whom we owe in particular the Saint-Roch church, in Quebec, the opulent Victorian-style house was erected for Louis Richard and Zoé Turgeon, a couple of industrialists having made a fortune in the production of artificial leather.
The woodwork and exterior of Château Richard are deteriorating visibly.
Photo : Radio-Canada / David Remillard
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Sold in the 1920s, the castle has seen a succession of owners during the 20th century, including a merchant and an abbot. Its reception hall has been the scene of weddings and various public events over the years. Château Richard thus experienced a certain golden age from 1930 to 1960.
Its last permanent inhabitant, Arsène Bureau, was only using two coins towards the end of his reign. Leading an austere life in a castle that shouted the opposite, he spent a lot of his time in the attic, repairing televisions.
Château Richard, practically empty, was inhabited by Arsène Bureau in 1984.
Photo: National Library and Archives of Quebec
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According to an article published in October 1984 in the newspaper The Soleil some time before Mr. Bureau left the castle, the exterior envelope of the building was still in impeccable condition
.
Except some washed out floors
and plaster to be redone, the man with the empty castle estimated the work to be done inside the property at $ 3,000.
Arsène Bureau had owned it since 1948.
The woodwork of Château Richard has lost its luster and its structure is twisting.
Photo : Radio-Canada / David Remillard
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Uninhabited
Château Richard passed into the hands of the Mathieu family in the mid-1980s.
According to information obtained from the land register, Micheline Mathieu-Letarte and her brother Jacques Mathieu have exchanged official rights to the property. However, they never lived there. Ms. Mathieu is now the sole owner.
This retired teacher lives in another house near the castle and scrupulously monitors the place, not hesitating to approach strollers who are a little too interested in the impressive construction.
Château Richard is closely watched by its owner, who lives nearby.
Photo : Radio-Canada / David Remillard
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The area, partly fenced, is also protected against intrusions by an alarm system, which limits frequentation by unwanted explorers. A short online search is enough to see that fans of abandoned buildings have already tried to enter.
Deterioration
Despite this rigorous surveillance, the building has deteriorated considerably under the supervision of the Mathieu family and the building, located in an agricultural zone, has never been requalified. According to our information, no project has even been considered for more than ten years.
When they have not completely disappeared, woodwork with faded paint is twisted, rotten, cracked or broken. Some windows are boarded up and the stone cladding shows signs of fatigue. The metal roof, culminating in the heights of the large turret, is attacked by rust in various places.
The green roof of Château Richard is rusting in places.
Photo : Radio-Canada / David Remillard
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Difficult to know the exact state inside, although its owner assures that it’s still very beautiful
. Few have had the chance to visit Château Richard in recent years.
During the last municipal assessment, the building depreciated by $ 8,000 compared to the previous roll, reaching a value of $ 322,100. The total value of the estate, with the land overlooking the St. Lawrence River, nonetheless increased by nearly $ 30,000 to reach $ 444,500 during the same property assessment.
According to sources familiar with the matter, the renovation permits issued by the Municipality in recent years have not resulted in major work, at least on the outside. Tax bills have also always been paid.
The value of Chateau Richard has fallen by $ 8,000 in the most recent municipal assessment.
Photo : Radio-Canada / David Remillard
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Classification request
Lover of built heritage and urban planner, Guillaume St-Jean, from Gatineau, visited Côte-de-Beaupré in 2019. Like many curious people, he observed the building at length and inquired about it.
Worried about his fate and having discovered that he had been on his own for over 30 years, he decided to act. On December 22, he submitted a classification proposal to the Ministry of Culture and Communications, hoping for state intervention.
If he deplores the inaction of the owners of Château Richard, Mr. St-Jean also harshly judges the Municipality of L’Ange-Gardien. In her opinion, she has all the levers needed to save the furniture in the Town Planning and Development Act.
What is needed is that the Municipality decides to request an injunction from the Superior Court to force the renovation work.
, he said in an interview. Either they don’t want to do it or they don’t know how to do it.
The possibilities are endless. You just have to stop doing nothing, because one day it will be too late.
The Ministry of Culture confirms receipt of Mr. St-Jean’s classification proposal and adds that it is still being processed. A spokesperson said this was the first request to date to have been made for Château Richard.
Strained relationship
Like the building, the relationship between the owner of the castle and the Municipality of L’Ange-Gardien does not seem very solid.
And this is one of the reasons, according to Mayor Pierre Lefrançois, which led to the degradation of the property. At the helm of the municipality for nearly 20 years, Mr. Lefrançois ensures that various attempts have been made to convince the Mathieu to renovate.
Pierre Lefrançois is prefect of the MRC and mayor of L’Ange-Gardien.
Photo: MRC de La Côte-de-Beaupré
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We tried a few times to be in contact with them and to be conciliatory to help them make renovations.
, he argues. He recalls that the building has been added to the inventory of the built heritage of the MRC de la Côte-de-Beaupré, of which he is the prefect, and that grants are available.
We need the will of the owner to do the renovations.
Legally, Mr. Lefrançois says he does not have all the tools in hand. We have the will, but we are still limited in procedures and in financial resources too
, he defends himself about a possible legal battle.
That said, L’Ange-Gardien has been putting more pressure since 2015. Radio-Canada noted that nearly ten tickets were handed over to Micheline Mathieu-Letarte for having derogated from municipal regulations on exterior siding. , the most recent of which date from 2020.
The findings of a few hundred dollars each have mostly been paid.
In support
As for Guillaume St-Jean’s request for classification, Pierre Lefrançois says he is delighted, having himself taken steps over four years ago
from the Ministry of Culture. At the time, he said, a ranking was not possible
and the efforts undertaken were abandoned.
The endorses
today the process started by the Gatineau town planner. I am happy. If we have people who take up the process and go to the Ministry, we will support them
, he says. I will follow with interest the request that has been made, of course. We are always open to working together and trying to resolve the situation.
Invited by Radio-Canada to comment on the request for classification of his castle, Micheline Mathieu-Letarte preferred not to comment. The latter, however, has never hidden its dissensions with the municipal administration.
With the collaboration of Marie-Pier Bouchard
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