Date of Visit

Septmber 2024


 		 
Canada


Quebec

Gaspe


Hyman and Sons General Store





 

Summary

Built in 1864 as a home by William Hyman a prominent member of the local society, Hyman & Sons General Store was converted to also act as a general store and contributed to the growth of the local community.  It is now a museum displaying items relating to the time the building played a prominent part in the community.
 

 
Located in the Grande-Grave section of the Forillon National Park, Hyman & Sons General Store was built and inhabited by William Hyman who was an important figure in the region. A merchant and exporter, and an influential public figure, William Hyman owned and operated the company William Hyman & Sons which was a major contributor to the local economy. 

Constructed in 1864, when fishery was booming and the settlement of Grande-Grave was growing, the Hyman House and Store played a pivotal role for cod exporters and merchants in the settlement of the region associated with the national theme of the cod fishery in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, which was the main activity and the driving force behind the Gaspé economy for several centuries. Initially the boss’s house and later a store, the building was the very heart of Grande-Grave, and it bore witness to the social structure that shaped the Forillon area.

The building is a fine example of vernacular architecture influenced by Neo-classicism. It combines elements that are typical of Quebec and American house design, as well as features adapted to suit the particular constraints of the site, and specific functional requirements.

The two-storey building is constructed on a stone foundation with white lap siding and coloured trim on three elevations and cedar shingles on the eastern elevation, it contains two levels of verandas that run the full length of the southwest elevation and has multiple-light double-hung windows.

 

 

With a shingled gable roof with bell-shaped eaves, which is a typical feature of 19th-century Quebec vernacular architecture that was popular in the Gaspé region. The roof was replaced after more than 150 years when a layer of birch bark in the form of large squares was discovered under the cedar shingles. These had been used as a "waterproofing membrane,” to protect the original roof deck.

Features which mark the building as a store including the display windows, the signage and the recessed entry on the west elevation, 
 
 


It has a single space on the ground floor with built-in furnishings (shelves and counters), which features fine carpentry detailing, particularly in the ground-floor store where the woodwork is still in excellent condition.

The building has undergone a number of Modifications. In 1918, and in 1924, work was carried out converting it to a store. 







​​​​​​

In 1980s, it underwent restoration with the reconstruction of the front porches and its conversion to exhibition space. It is now open to visitors as a museum, and displays the items found in a building of that type and age.

The Hyman House and Store has been designated a Recognized Federal Heritage Building because of its historical associations, and its architectural and environmental values.

 


 
​​​
 

              All  Photographs were taken by and are copyright of Ron Gatepain
  Site Map